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 Tacoma
Air duct cleaning in Tacoma typically runs $350 – $650 for a full residential system, with most jobs completed in a single visit. We dispatch crews from our Seattle office and serve Tacoma neighborhoods directly, from North End Victorians to newer builds in Point Ruston.
We’ve worked in Tacoma long enough to know the local conditions that fill ductwork here. The marine climate, the humidity that hangs in the air off Commencement Bay, the older housing stock in neighborhoods like Proctor and the Stadium District – these aren’t abstract talking points for us. They’re what we find when we open a vent cover. Our Air Duct Cleaning team uses Rotobrush rotary systems and Nikro negative-air machines to pull debris out at the source, not push it around. If your vents smell musty when the furnace first fires in fall, that’s not normal, and it’s not something a scented spray fixes.
Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate. We’ll give you a written price before any work starts, and that price doesn’t move at the door.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Tacoma’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, and our standard is simple: show up inside the window, price it in writing, do it by the book, leave the site clean. Tacoma homeowners get the same discipline we’ve applied for two decades. No estimates that balloon once the technician is inside your home.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed. You know who’s walking through your door before they arrive. Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – no voicemail loops, no callback queues, no waiting until Monday for someone to pick up.
Every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. If the work fails within a year, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s not a satisfaction guarantee; that’s a specific commitment with specific terms, and we put it on paper.
We know Tacoma’s mix of housing ages and styles. From 1920s Craftsman bungalows near Proctor and 21st to mid-century ranches in South Tacoma and Lincoln, we’ve cleaned ductwork in homes with original galvanized steel, retrofitted flex duct, and modern sealed systems. That local familiarity means we know where to look for problems before they become expensive repairs.
Air Duct Repair in Tacoma
Air Duct Repair in Tacoma addresses the disconnected joints, corrosion, and structural failures that develop in duct systems exposed to decades of high humidity and temperature cycling. In our market, repair work typically costs $200 – $500 for minor sealing and reconnection, while extensive replacement of corroded galvanized sections in older North End homes can run $800 – $1,500. We always inspect with a camera first, so you see the damage before we quote the fix.
Disconnected Joints Behind the Air Handler
In South Tacoma and Lincoln mid-century ranches, short duct runs often hide separated connections behind the furnace where vibration and thermal expansion do their work. Without repair, conditioned air leaks into crawl spaces or wall cavities, and your system works harder for less result. We reconnect with mechanical fasteners and seal with mastic, not tape that peels in damp conditions.
Corrosion in Original Galvanized Ductwork
Pre-1950s homes in the Stadium District and North End frequently contain galvanized steel ducts that have carried moisture for 70-plus years. The metal thins, seams crack, and rust particles enter your airflow. We replace failed sections with modern materials and seal the system to current standards.
Ductwork Cleaning in Tacoma
Ductwork Cleaning in Tacoma removes accumulated debris, biological growth, and industrial particulate from the full supply and return network, not just the visible runs near your registers. A complete residential cleaning in our market typically runs $350 – $650 for a standard system, with larger homes or heavily contaminated systems reaching $750 – $950. Commercial systems start around $1,200 and scale with square footage and access complexity.
Source Removal vs. Surface Fogging
We perform source removal – mechanical agitation with rotary brushes under negative pressure, capturing debris at the point of disturbance with HEPA filtration. This is fundamentally different from the fogging “sanitiser” upsell sold by some competitors. Fogging mists the duct surface but doesn’t remove the biofilm that grows on galvanized steel when Tacoma’s indoor humidity sits above 60% for months. We don’t sell fogging as a standalone service because we won’t charge you for something that doesn’t solve the problem.
Camera Inspection Before and After
Every full-system cleaning includes video documentation. You see the condition before we start and the results after we finish. In older homes, this often reveals hidden condensation pooling and mold colonies in low duct runs that would otherwise go untreated.
Trusted Brands We Service in Tacoma
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for mechanical agitation, Nikro negative-air machines for controlled debris extraction, and filtration products from Aprilaire, Abatement Technologies, and Guardsman. These are the same tools commercial crews use in hospitals and schools, not hardware-store attachments. For Tacoma customers, this means we stock components locally and can source replacement filters, media, and sealing materials without waiting on freight from out of state. When we identify a failing component during cleaning, we can often repair or replace it same-visit rather than scheduling a return trip.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Tacoma Homes
- Condensation pooling in unprotected galvanized ducts. In North End and Proctor District homes, original ductwork was installed without vapor barriers. Moisture collects in low spots, grows hidden mold, and releases a musty odor when the furnace first kicks on in fall. That smell is a Tacoma-specific signal that drier inland cities don’t produce.
- Disconnected flex duct joints in mid-century ranches. South Tacoma and Lincoln homes from the 1950s – 1970s often have retrofitted flex duct with joints that separate behind walls or in crawl spaces. Debris and microbial growth recirculate through the system until a camera inspection locates the break.
- Biofilm buildup from persistent high humidity. Tacoma’s marine climate keeps indoor relative humidity above 60% for months at a time. This promotes biological growth on duct surfaces that a simple vacuum won’t remove – mechanical agitation and negative pressure are required for genuine source removal.
- Fine industrial particulate from the Tideflats. The “Tacoma Aroma” isn’t just an outdoor phenomenon. Fine particulate from industrial activity settles in duct systems, particularly in homes with older filtration or gaps in the building envelope. Standard filters don’t catch it; professional cleaning with HEPA containment does.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Tacoma, WA
We believe in honest numbers. Here’s what air duct cleaning costs in the Tacoma market:
- Residential full-system cleaning: $350 – $650 for most single-family homes
- Larger homes or heavy contamination: $750 – $950
- Commercial systems: $1,200 and up, scaled to square footage
- Air Duct Repair: $200 – $500 for minor work; $800 – $1,500 for extensive galvanized replacement
- Dryer vent cleaning (add-on): $120 – $180
- Duct sealing with mastic: $300 – $600 depending on access
What moves the price: system size, contamination level, access difficulty (crawl space vs. basement), and whether we find disconnected or corroded ductwork that needs repair. We quote one flat price per system, agreed in writing before any work starts. No per-vent pricing. No add-ons at the door. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate – we’ll ask about your home’s age, neighborhood, and any symptoms you’ve noticed, then give you a range you can plan around.
We Also Serve Cities Near Tacoma
Our crews work throughout the south Puget Sound area. We regularly clean ductwork in Tacoma plus Milton, University Place, Puyallup, and Federal Way. Scheduling is coordinated from our Seattle office, with local technicians dispatched to your area.
Serving Tacoma, WA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Tacoma 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 Tacoma
Tacoma’s combination of higher year-round humidity, abundant vegetation producing pollen, and industrial particulate from the Tideflats creates a unique contamination load that accumulates faster than in drier or cleaner-air cities. The marine climate keeps indoor humidity above 60% for months, promoting biological growth inside ductwork that requires more frequent attention. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll assess your system’s condition.
Genuine source removal uses mechanical agitation with rotary brushes under negative pressure to physically extract debris and biofilm from duct surfaces. A fogging sanitiser only mists the surface, leaving the actual contamination in place. In Tacoma’s humid climate, that biofilm grows back within weeks if it isn’t removed. We don’t sell fogging as a standalone service because it doesn’t solve the problem our customers call about.
That specific fall-startup smell indicates condensation has pooled in low spots of your original galvanized ductwork, which was installed without vapor barriers in most pre-1950s North End and Proctor District homes. The moisture grows mold that releases spores when heated air first moves through the system in autumn. Camera inspection locates the affected runs, and source removal with antimicrobial treatment addresses the biological growth. We pulled up to a 1928 Craftsman near Proctor and 21st where the homeowner described exactly this symptom – 30 seconds after furnace startup, the musty odor hit. Camera inspection showed water collected behind the air handler with dark microbial growth on the metal. We set up negative pressure with HEPA filtration, ran agitation tools through every branch, performed source removal on the plenum and blower motor, and treated the affected runs. The fall-startup smell was gone on the next cycle.
We use HEPA filtration during cleaning to capture fine particulate that standard filters miss, and we inspect for gaps in the building envelope that allow outdoor air infiltration. The industrial particulate from the Tideflats is real, it’s in duct systems, and it requires professional-grade extraction equipment to remove. Source removal with negative pressure and proper filtration is the only approach that reduces the load meaningfully.
Yes. Modern sealed systems prevent some infiltration, but they don’t stop internal contamination from skin cells, pet dander, cooking particulate, and the humidity-driven microbial growth that occurs in any Tacoma home. The sealed construction actually concentrates whatever does enter, and without cleaning, that buildup circulates continuously. We clean newer systems with adjusted techniques that protect the sealed joints while achieving full source removal.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Tacoma since 2004 as part of the Garrison Partners family.