Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Arlington
Air duct cleaning in Arlington, MA typically runs $350 – $650 for a full residential system and $800 – $1,800 for commercial jobs, with most homes completed in a single visit. Our crews dispatch from the Boston office and serve Arlington neighborhoods including East Arlington, Arlington Heights, and the Brattle Street corridor regularly. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free written estimate before any work starts.
We’ve been working in Arlington since 2004 as part of the Garrison Partners family, and the housing stock here tells a consistent story. Ranch homes from the 1960s and 1970s dominate the side streets off Massachusetts Avenue and Broadway, many with original flex ductwork in attics that has endured fifty summers of heat. That aged infrastructure is why our Air Duct Cleaning team treats Arlington jobs differently than newer suburbs. We arrive inside the quoted window, price the work in writing before touching anything, and leave the site clean. That’s The Garrison Standard.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Arlington’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
Arlington homeowners know the difference between a crew that vacuums registers and one that actually inspects the full system. We use Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines with HEPA filtration, the same equipment commercial crews run in hospitals and schools. Every technician is background-checked and uniformed, and our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, seven days a week. No voicemail loops, no callback queues.
Our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers every job in writing. If the work fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. The price is written down before any work starts and does not move at the door. We’ve built our reputation in Arlington on that discipline, not on teaser coupons that balloon once the van is in the driveway.
Local knowledge matters here. We know which Arlington streets still have the original 1960s ranch homes with attic flex duct that runs over bedrooms. We know the pollen load from oak and ragweed hits hardest in late April through May, and we know what that accumulation looks like inside a return plenum. When you hire us, you’re getting a crew that understands Arlington construction, not a generic outfit that treats every metro the same.
Vent Cleaning in Arlington
Vent Cleaning in Arlington starts with understanding that your supply and return vents are only the visible endpoints of a system that may be failing where you can’t see it. A proper vent cleaning job here involves removing each register, cleaning the boot and first few feet of duct with a rotary brush system, and inspecting with a camera for crushed or disconnected runs upstream. In Arlington’s older homes, we frequently find that what looks like a dirty vent is actually a symptom of flex duct degradation in the attic. Typical residential vent cleaning runs $150 – $300 as a standalone service, or it’s included in a full system cleaning.
Supply Vent vs. Return Vent Cleaning
Supply vents push conditioned air into your rooms; return vents pull air back to the air handler. In Arlington, return vents collect the heaviest pollen loads because they’re drawing air through the house. We clean both sides with negative-air containment so debris doesn’t migrate during the job.
When Vent Cleaning Isn’t Enough
If we find gray fuzz on the supply registers, that’s usually degraded flex duct liner, not ordinary dust. Cleaning the vent won’t stop the shedding. We’ll show you the camera footage and price the repair in writing before proceeding.
Air Duct Repair in Arlington
Air Duct Repair in Arlington is often the real work hiding inside a “cleaning” call. The combination of intense attic heat and decades-old flex duct means we routinely find crushed, disconnected, or delaminated sections that are leaking unconditioned air and shedding fibers into the supply stream. Repair work involves reconnecting runs, replacing damaged flex duct with properly supported new material, and sealing all joints with mastic. Typical repairs in Arlington range from $200 – $500 for a single run replacement to $600 – $1,200 for multiple sections or full trunk line work.
Flex Duct Replacement
When the inner liner has degraded past saving, we replace the run with new flex duct supported every four feet to prevent sagging. We use mastic sealant on every connection, not tape that will fail in the next heat cycle. The new run gets pressure-tested before we close the attic.
Duct Sealing and Reconnection
Disconnected runs are common in Arlington attics where rodents or poor original installation have pulled joints apart. We reconnect with mechanical fasteners and mastic, then verify airflow at the register with a digital anemometer. You’ll see the before-and-after readings.
Trusted Brands We Service in Arlington
We stock parts and filtration products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies for Arlington customers, which means faster turnaround on jobs that need component replacement. Our Nikro negative-air machines and Rotobrush rotary systems are professional-grade, not hardware-store rental units. When we recommend a filtration upgrade after cleaning, we’re installing equipment we’ve vetted for this climate, not selling you a SKU we don’t understand. If your system uses a Honeywell electronic air cleaner or an Aprilaire media cabinet, we service those in place and can show you the pressure-drop readings before and after filter replacement.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Arlington Homes
- Attic heat degrading flex duct liners. Arlington’s ranch-era attics routinely hit 140°F-plus in summer, and that heat cooks the inner liner of flex duct until it sloughs fibers into the supply air. We find this failure mode on Pleasant Street, on Brattle, and throughout the Heights. It’s a problem that barely shows up in drier, cooler metros.
- Rodent damage in crawlspaces and attic runs. Crushed or disconnected sections often look fine at the register but leak unconditioned attic air into the house. Camera inspection finds the real damage upstream.
- Heavy spring pollen loading the return side. Oak, grass, and ragweed pollen in Arlington’s spring settles in return plenums and blower cabinets. A surface-only job misses this accumulation; negative-air source removal with HEPA filtration is the only method that extracts it fully.
- Original duct sealing failed decades ago. Mastic and tape from the 1970s has dried and cracked. We re-seal with current-grade mastic and verify with pressure testing so your conditioned air actually reaches the rooms.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington, MA
A typical residential full system cleaning in Arlington runs $350 – $650 for a single furnace home with 10 – 15 vents. Commercial duct cleaning starts at $800 and ranges to $1,800 depending on square footage and system complexity. Air duct repair, when needed, adds $200 – $500 for a single flex run replacement or $600 – $1,200 for multiple sections. Vent cleaning alone is $150 – $300.
What moves the price: number of supply and return vents, accessibility of the air handler and duct runs, whether we find degraded flex duct requiring replacement, and if the job needs video inspection to locate hidden damage. We do not quote per-vent teaser prices that balloon at the door. One flat price per system, agreed in writing, before any work starts. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate. We’ll ask about your home’s age, square footage, and any symptoms you’ve noticed so we can quote accurately.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington
Our crews work throughout the metro, including Belmont, Winchester, Medford, and Cambridge. If you’re on the border of Arlington and one of these towns, we’ll schedule based on routing efficiency and arrive inside the quoted window. Same pricing discipline, same written guarantee, same live-answer dispatch.
Serving Arlington, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington
Arlington’s housing stock is older, with much of it built during the 1960s – 1980s ranch era when flex duct was common and attic insulation was minimal. Those attics exceed 140°F in summer, accelerating liner degradation. Newer suburbs typically have rigid ductboard or metal trunk lines that hold up better. If we find damage during your cleaning, we’ll show you the camera footage and price the repair before proceeding. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule an inspection.
Gray fuzz on supply registers is almost always degraded flex duct inner liner shedding fibers into the airflow. We see this constantly in Arlington’s older homes, especially on second-floor registers fed by attic runs. It’s not ordinary dust and won’t stop with register cleaning. We locate the damaged section with video inspection, replace it, and verify the fix with pressure readings. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Arlington’s heavy oak, grass, and ragweed pollen peaks from late April through May, loading return ducts and blower cabinets. Cleaning in June or July captures that accumulation before summer humidity promotes mold growth. We don’t push artificial urgency, but we do note that post-pollen cleaning removes the allergen load before it gets locked in by humidity. Call (361) 326-5060 to discuss timing for your home.
Arlington’s humid subtropical climate can promote mold growth when condensation forms on cool duct surfaces in unconditioned spaces, especially attics and crawlspaces with poor ventilation. We find it most often on the exterior of flex duct where insulation has compressed or torn. Our cleaning includes inspection for mold-prone conditions, and we document what we find with photos. Remediation, if needed, is priced separately and in writing. Call (361) 326-5060 for an assessment.
We follow NADCA ACR 2021 standards for assessment, cleaning, and restoration of HVAC systems. That means mechanical agitation with rotary brushes, negative-air source removal with HEPA filtration, and post-cleaning verification. For Arlington homes, we also apply The Garrison Standard: written price before work, background-checked uniformed technicians, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Arlington since 2004.