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.
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AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Melrose
Air duct cleaning in Melrose typically runs $400 – $800 for a full residential system, and most jobs require an assessment before any cleaning starts because of how this city’s older homes were built. We’re Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, and we’ve spent twenty years working in streetcar suburbs exactly like this one. Our dispatch team operates from our Boston office, but our crews live in and around Melrose and know the difference between a straightforward ranch off the north side and a two-family Victorian near the Common where the ductwork has been modified four times since 1910. If you’re seeing weak airflow, musty basement odors, or uneven heating between floors, call us at (361) 326-5060. We’ll send a uniformed tech who knows Melrose’s housing stock, not a script-reader with a vacuum hose.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Melrose’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
Melrose homeowners don’t hire us because we’re the cheapest. They hire us because we show up inside the window, price the job in writing before touching anything, and stand behind it for 365 days.
Our reputation here was built on jobs other companies walked away from: crushed returns behind plaster in Melrose Highlands two-families, oil-soot residue in gravity-furnace retrofits near Main Street, and shared dryer vent stacks in downtown apartment conversions where access means coordinating with multiple tenants. We don’t subcontract. Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and trained on Rotobrush rotary systems and Nikro negative-air equipment. The price we write down is the price you pay. No per-vent add-ons, no “discovered problems” once the truck is parked.
Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If something fails within a year, we come back and make it right at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s in writing on every job.
Air Duct Repair in Melrose
Air Duct Repair in Melrose is rarely a standalone request. Most homeowners call for Air Duct Cleaning and discover their real problem is disconnected, crushed, or improperly modified ductwork hidden behind walls and ceilings. In a city where Victorian and early-1900s homes dominate, duct systems were often retrofitted from gravity furnaces, then split again when upstairs apartments were added. Cleaning a broken system just moves dirt through a broken path.
Our repair work starts with a video inspection. We feed a camera through the supply and return lines to map what’s actually there, not what the blueprints suggest. Typical repair costs in Melrose run $300 – $700 for run restoration, reconnection, or sealing with mastic. Full section replacement, when original galvanized ductwork has corroded through, can reach $1,200 – $2,000 depending on access.
Disconnected Runs Behind Plaster
In the two-family homes near Melrose Highlands and downtown, we regularly find supply branches that were crudely split decades ago and have since separated entirely. The upstairs unit gets weak heat; the basement smells musty from back-pressure. We locate the break, restore the connection, and seal it properly so both units draw correctly.
Oil and Gas Furnace Residue Damage
Melrose’s long heating season produces thick, dry soot in ductwork connected to older oil and gas furnaces. Over years this residue corrodes galvanized steel and degrades flex duct adhesive. We remove the contamination, then repair or replace the damaged sections so the system doesn’t re-contaminate within months.
Ductwork Cleaning in Melrose
Ductwork Cleaning in Melrose means something different than it does in a 1990s subdivision. Before any cleaning starts, we assess whether the system can actually move air properly through its full path. A rotary brush or negative-air machine can’t fix a crushed return or a supply branch that’s feeding a wall cavity instead of a bedroom.
Once repairs are addressed, our cleaning process uses source removal: a Rotobrush rotary brush system scrubs the interior of each duct, while a Nikro negative-air machine maintains suction at the trunk line to capture dislodged debris before it enters your living space. HEPA filtration on the exhaust means nothing recirculates. For a typical Melrose single-family, full system cleaning runs $400 – $650. Two-family homes with separate systems, or properties with basement and attic duct runs, typically range $600 – $900.
Negative-Air Method Explained
We connect a high-powered vacuum to your main trunk line. This creates negative pressure throughout the system while rotary brushes agitate debris inside each branch. The debris is carried directly to the collection unit, not pushed into your rooms. It’s the same method commercial crews use in hospitals and schools, scaled for residential ductwork.
Post-Cleaning Verification
After cleaning, we run a second video inspection and show you the footage. You’ll see the before and after of your own ducts, not a stock photo. If the system still shows damage we missed, we address it under the same written price. No separate trip charges, no renegotiation.
Trusted Brands We Service in Melrose
We stock and service filtration and duct components from Aprilaire, Abatement Technologies, and Guardsman, plus we maintain Rotobrush and Nikro cleaning equipment in our own shop. For Melrose homeowners with older Honeywell or Aprilaire media filters integrated into their duct systems, this means we can replace degraded components during the same visit rather than ordering parts and rescheduling. Most standard filter replacements and minor component swaps happen same-day. If your system uses a Guardsman UV filtration add-on or an Abatement Technologies HEPA bypass unit, our techs are trained on those specific products and carry common failure parts. We don’t guess at compatibility with 40-year-old ductwork. We measure, match, and install what fits.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Melrose Homes
- Crushed or disconnected returns in two-family conversions. The older housing stock near Melrose Highlands and downtown was repeatedly modified for apartment splits. We find supply branches that no longer connect to anything and returns that pull air from wall cavities instead of rooms. Cleaning without repair just pressurizes the wrong spaces.
- Oil and gas soot accumulation from six-month heating seasons. Melrose’s cold winters mean furnaces run hard from October through April. Dry, acidic residue coats duct interiors and accelerates corrosion in older galvanized systems, especially in homes with unfinished basements where humidity fluctuates.
- Shared dryer vent stacks with dangerous lint buildup. In two-family and condo buildings, a single vertical stack often serves multiple units. Lint accumulates beyond the trap, sometimes several feet up, creating a fire hazard no resident can see or reach without proper equipment and roof access.
- Condensation and microbial growth in basement and attic runs. Melrose’s humid summers and hilly terrain mean ductwork in unconditioned spaces sweats. Combined with pollen and debris pulled through outdoor intakes under the mature tree canopy, this produces musty odors and visible growth that standard cleaning alone won’t solve.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Melrose, MA
Here’s what air duct cleaning actually costs in Melrose, based on the jobs we’ve completed here:
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Full residential duct cleaning (single-family) | $400 – $650 |
| Two-family or multi-system home | $600 – $900 |
| Duct repair (reconnection, sealing, section replacement) | $300 – $700 |
| Full section replacement with access | $1,200 – $2,000 |
| Dryer vent cleaning (single unit) | $150 – $250 |
| Shared stack dryer vent cleaning | $250 – $400 |
| Video inspection with written report | $150 – $200 (credited toward work) |
What moves you within these ranges: system size, number of supply and return vents, accessibility (crawlspace vs. full basement), and whether we find damage requiring repair before cleaning can begin. We do not price per vent. One flat price per system, agreed in writing, before any work starts. No teaser coupons that balloon at the door. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate. We’ll ask about your home’s age, layout, and what symptoms you’re seeing, then give you an honest range.
We Also Serve Cities Near Melrose
Our crews work throughout the metro north area, including Melrose and the surrounding communities of Malden, Stoneham, Saugus, and Wakefield. Each city has its own housing patterns and ductwork quirks, and we adjust our approach accordingly rather than running the same playbook everywhere.
Serving Melrose, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Melrose 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 Melrose
Because Melrose’s housing stock is old and heavily modified. Victorian and early-1900s homes were built for gravity furnaces, then retrofitted with forced-air ductwork that was often undersized, rerouted for apartment splits, or patched with flex duct that has since failed. Cleaning a system with crushed or disconnected runs just moves debris through broken pathways. We find this in maybe half the Melrose jobs we assess, especially in two-families near the Highlands and downtown. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll video-inspect before quoting any cleaning.
Yes, if both units are accessible and both owners or tenants agree. We often schedule these together to minimize truck and equipment setup time on streets where parking is tight. Each system is priced separately, and each gets its own written quote and 365-Day Done Right Promise. Shared dryer vent stacks between units are cleaned as a single job since the stack serves both. Call (361) 326-5060 to coordinate scheduling with your neighbor or landlord.
The hills mean some homes have ductwork split between basement and attic levels, doubling the access points we need to clean. The mature oak and maple canopy drops significant pollen, leaves, and debris that get pulled into outdoor air intakes and fresh-air systems, accelerating filter clogging and duct contamination. We account for both in our setup time and our equipment configuration. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll ask about your home’s specific intake placement and duct routing.
No. Our equipment runs through existing vent openings, not through your living space. We use corner guards and drop cloths where hoses must pass through finished areas, and our rotary brushes are sized to fit residential ducts without contacting surrounding structure. The 365-Day Done Right Promise covers any rare damage from our work. We’ve cleaned dozens of homes in Melrose with original hardwood and finished basements; protecting your space is standard procedure, not an extra. Call (361) 326-5060 to discuss your specific layout.
Yes. We stock and install Aprilaire media filters, Honeywell electronic air cleaner cells, and compatible components for systems common in Melrose’s 1960s – 1980s housing stock. If your original component is obsolete, we’ll measure the duct opening and match a modern equivalent that fits without modification. We don’t force incompatible parts into old systems. Call (361) 326-5060 with your model number if you have it, or we’ll identify it on-site.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Melrose since 2004.