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 HVAC Cleaning Across Boston
HVAC cleaning in Boston typically runs $380-$720 for a full system when you include air handler cleaning, evaporator coil treatment, and blower work on a triple-decker or rowhouse. We schedule most Boston jobs within three to five business days. If you’re in Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, the South End, or anywhere inside the city limits, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll give you a written price before a single panel comes off.
Most Boston homes were built before forced air existed. That means the ductwork in your triple-decker or brick rowhouse was squeezed in decades after the building went up, and it behaves differently than ductwork in a purpose-built suburban system. We know what that looks like from the inside, because we photograph every run before and after we work on it. That photo record is part of the job, not an upsell.
Why CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Is Boston’s Preferred HVAC Cleaning Company
We’ve been doing HVAC Cleaning since 2013, and the Boston market has taught us more about retrofit ductwork than any training manual could. Triple-deckers don’t appear in most HVAC textbooks. Neither do South End rowhouses with duct risers hidden in closet corners. But they show up on our work orders every week, and that’s exactly why we’re built for this city.
Every job gets a written price before work starts. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1, and it’s not negotiable. Our crews are background-checked and uniformed under Haven Standard Clause 3, which means you’ll know the technician’s name before they arrive and you’ll see their license number on the work record, not buried in a website footer.
Since our founding, CleanRun has served 52,000+ homes across the metro, every single one with a documented photo record when the crew left. In Boston, that photo record matters more than in most places, because the work happens inside chases and cavities you’ll never see with your own eyes. We’re not asking you to trust us. We’re handing you the evidence.
Tomas Reyes leads our Boston operations, and he’ll tell you the same thing: if the camera doesn’t show clean duct after the job, the job isn’t finished.
Our HVAC Cleaning Services in Boston
Evaporator Coil Cleaning
Evaporator coil cleaning in Boston runs $180-$340 depending on access. In triple-deckers, the coil usually sits in the basement air handler, where Atlantic humidity condenses on it from May through September. We pull the access panel, photograph the coil before and after, and apply a coil treatment that cuts through the biofilm without flooding your basement floor.
Blower Cleaning
Blower cleaning in Boston runs $120-$220. The blower wheel on a retrofit system collects the same dust your ducts do, plus whatever the filter missed. We remove the blower assembly, clean the wheel blades with agitation tools, and photograph the result. You’d be surprised how much airflow comes back once the wheel isn’t spinning under a layer of caked-on dust.
Condenser Cleaning
Outdoor condenser cleaning in Boston runs $90-$160. City condensers have it rough: exhaust soot from Mass Ave traffic, construction dust from every South End renovation project, and tree debris from the canopy over neighborhoods like West Roxbury. We clear the fins and coil, check refrigerant pressures, and document the unit before and after.
Air Handler Cleaning
Air handler cleaning in Boston runs $200-$380 and it’s often the most important part of the job. In older Boston homes, the air handler sits in a damp basement or a cramped utility closet, sharing space with the water heater and years of accumulated dust. We remove the blower, clean the interior surfaces, sanitize where needed, and replace the filter. The photo record shows you exactly what came out.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
BeforeAfterTrusted Brands We Service in Boston
Our trucks carry professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush, Nikro, and Honeywell, and our crews use negative-pressure extraction with HEPA filtration rather than a shop vac pointed at a register. For Boston’s retrofit ductwork, equipment choice matters. The flex runs in a Dorchester triple-decker are smaller and more fragile than anything in a suburban home, and the wrong tools can crush a run faster than they can clean it. We can service any system regardless of brand, and we stock common parts for Honeywell and Aprilaire components so small fixes don’t turn into two-visit jobs.
Common HVAC Cleaning Problems We See in Boston Homes
Boston’s building stock creates a specific set of problems. Here’s what we find most often:
- Ignored basement air handlers in triple-deckers. The Atlantic humidity that makes Boston summers sticky also condenses on the coil and blower motor in basement units. That moisture feeds mold, and that mold recirculates through every floor of the building. We see this in Dorchester, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain more than anywhere else.
- Cleaned main trunks with untouched flex runs. Some companies clean the big rectangular trunk line and call it done. The stairwell-chase flex runs that actually deliver air to your bedrooms stay dirty, and the problem returns within months. Our photo record covers every run we access, not just the easy ones.
- Wrong equipment for tight retrofit runs. South End rowhouses often have 4-inch and 5-inch flex runs squeezed through floor cavities. One-size-fits-all suction equipment can’t navigate those spaces, leaving debris behind while the tech tells you the job is complete. We use camera inspection to see what’s actually inside before and after.
- Deteriorating fiberglass duct liner. Many pre-WWII Boston homes got fiberglass-lined ducts during retrofits decades ago. That liner breaks down over time and sheds particulate into the air stream. Cleaning helps, but sometimes the liner itself needs sealing or replacement. We’ll show you the photos so you can make that call with evidence in hand.
Pricing for HVAC Cleaning in Boston, MA
Here’s what HVAC cleaning actually costs in Boston, in writing. A full system clean on a typical triple-decker runs $380-$720, including air handler cleaning, evaporator coil treatment, and blower work. A rowhouse in the South End or Back Bay with difficult access runs $420-$680. A single-family ranch in West Roxbury or Hyde Park with a standard basement system runs $350-$550.
What changes the price is access and condition, not our mood that day. A basement air handler with easy panel access costs less to clean than a coil buried in a utility closet. Crushed flex runs that need reconnecting add labor because there’s no shortcut around it. You’ll always get a written price before work starts, and that price won’t change unless the scope changes. Call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll put a number in writing before we touch a single panel.
We Also Serve Cities Near Boston
Our crews serve homeowners throughout the metro. We clean HVAC systems in Somerville, Cambridge, Chelsea, and Everett, and we schedule them with the same written pricing and photo documentation we bring to every Boston job. If you’re in a neighboring city with older housing stock, the problems are usually the same; our Boston office coordinates scheduling for the whole area.
Serving Boston, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Boston 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 - HVAC Cleaning in Boston
Dust blowing from registers after a filter change usually means the ducts themselves are lined with accumulated debris that the filter never sees. In South End rowhouses, the duct risers were often retrofitted through closet corners and floor cavities, and decades of dust clings to those interior surfaces. When the blower kicks on, it pushes that dust into your living space. The fix is source removal: physically agitating and extracting the debris inside the runs, not just swapping a filter at the return. Call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll show you photos of what’s actually inside your runs.
We use camera inspection to map the runs first, then access them through the existing register openings and any available access panels. Dorchester triple-deckers typically have flex duct routed through vertical chases shared with plumbing and electrical, and those chases are tight. We remove registers, run the camera to locate disconnections or crushed sections, and then clean using negative-pressure extraction with HEPA filtration. The photo record shows you exactly what we found and what it looked like after. Our crew did this recently in Dorchester, where a partially collapsed flex run coated in grease vapor and rodent debris was the culprit behind weak airflow and a musty smell. We disconnected the crushed run, cleaned the surrounding duct, and sealed the replacement to NADCA standards. Airflow doubled and the odor was gone.
Usually yes, and Boston’s coastal humidity is the reason. Jamaica Plain triple-deckers often have basement air handlers where Atlantic moisture condenses on the coil and blower surfaces from spring through fall. That persistent moisture feeds mold growth on the coil, the blower wheel, and the interior of the air handler cabinet. The smell comes from mold and mildew inside the unit recirculating through the house. The fix is coil cleaning with an antimicrobial treatment, blower cleaning, and often sanitizing the air handler interior. We document all of it with photos before and after. Call (806) 606-6902 for a written price.
Weak airflow in a Back Bay brownstone often comes from disconnected or crushed duct runs, not dirty ducts. When the previous cleaning only addressed the accessible main trunk and left the retrofit risers untouched, the airflow problem remains because the air can’t travel through compromised sections. Boston’s brownstones were built for radiator heat, so forced-air ducts were added later through spaces never designed for them. Those improvised runs sag, disconnect, or collapse over time. Cleaning alone can’t fix a disconnected run. You need camera inspection to find the failure, then reconnection or replacement. That’s exactly what we do. Call (806) 606-6902 and ask about our camera inspection before any cleaning begins.
Most Boston triple-deckers need HVAC cleaning every two to three years, compared to every three to five years for a purpose-built suburban system. The difference is the retrofit ductwork. Triple-decker runs go through shared chases with plumbing stacks, kitchen exhaust residue, and rodent traffic from older building cavities. They accumulate debris faster and hold moisture longer. Boston’s long heating season, roughly October through late April, means the system runs hard for most of the year, pulling in whatever’s in the building cavities. If you haven’t had your system looked at in three or more years, call (806) 606-6902 for a written price and we’ll show you what the camera finds.
Call CleanRun for HVAC Cleaning in Boston
You’ll get a written price before work starts, a photo record of every duct run before and after, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise that puts the guarantee in writing. If a competitor gave you an estimate, bring it in; we’ll put our own number next to it in writing under our Free Second Opinion policy. Call (806) 606-6902 to schedule your HVAC cleaning in Boston. Tomas Reyes and our Boston crew will take it from there.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning, serving Boston since 2013.
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