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.
Fast, Reliable HVAC Cleaning Across Royal Oak
HVAC cleaning in Royal Oak typically costs between $349 and $689 for a whole-system cleaning on a single forced-air unit, and most jobs are completed in 3 to 5 hours. That’s the honest range we quote before any work starts, and it doesn’t change once the truck pulls up to your bungalow on Catalpa or an apartment block near Main Street. Royal Oak’s pre-1960 housing stock presents a specific set of problems in ductwork and air-handler units that you simply don’t find in newer Oakland County suburbs, and we’ve spent years learning exactly what those problems are and how to solve them. If you want a documented answer to what’s actually inside your ducts, call CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning at (806) 606-6902. We’ll give you a written price before a single panel comes off.
Why CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Is Royal Oak’s Preferred HVAC Cleaning Company
Royal Oak homeowners have a reason to be skeptical of the duct cleaning industry. For years, the standard play was a $79 coupon that turned into an $800 invoice once the tech “found” a problem. We built CleanRun in 2013 specifically to answer that bait-and-switch with a paper trail. Every job starts with a written price. Every duct run is photographed before and after, and the camera evidence belongs to you, not to a sales script. Under Haven Standard Clause 1, the price we quote is the price you pay. If you have a competitor’s written estimate, we’ll put our number next to it in writing, free of charge. That’s a Free Second Opinion on Any Written Estimate, and it’s a standing policy, not a promotion.
Tomas Reyes, who leads our crews, started working in Detroit-area mechanical systems before founding CleanRun, and he’s spent more than a decade documenting what happens inside older ductwork. When a Royal Oak homeowner asks why airflow feels weak in the upstairs bedroom of a 1938 Cape Cod, our answer comes with photos of what the trunk line actually looks like, not a shrug and a vague upsell. Royal Oak customers see our license number on the page, our technicians arrive in uniform and identify themselves by name before ringing the bell, and every visit concludes with a written record of what was done and what the camera found. That’s how we built a local reputation here, and that’s why Royal Oak homeowners keep calling. For the full scope of what we do across the metro, see our HVAC Cleaning page.
Our HVAC Cleaning Services in Royal Oak

Royal Oak’s dense housing stock means many of these services overlap. A system that hasn’t been cleaned in twenty years on a 1940s block near Vinsetta Boulevard rarely has just one problem. Here’s what we handle most often in Royal Oak, and what each service actually involves.
Evaporator Coil Cleaning
Your evaporator coil sits above the furnace and absorbs heat from the air passing over it. In Royal Oak’s humid summers, that coil sweats constantly, and in an older home with less insulation, the coil is often colder and wetter than it should be. That wet surface grabs dust, pollen, and whatever else the return air carries from Royal Oak’s oak and maple canopy. A dirty coil cuts airflow and forces the compressor to run longer. We use a professional-grade cleaner and a soft-bristle brush after the documented camera inspection, and we photograph the coil before and after so you can see the difference. Evaporator coil cleaning in Royal Oak runs $90 to $180 as a standalone service, and it’s included in our whole-system cleaning price.

Blower Cleaning
The blower wheel in your furnace is what pushes conditioned air through the house. In Royal Oak’s older furnaces, especially those retrofitted onto gravity warm-air trunks, the blower motor works harder than it was designed to. Dust, pet hair, and the fine rust particles that flake off unlined galvanized ducts accumulate on the blower wheel blades. A loaded blower wheel moves less air, strains the motor, and wastes electricity. We remove the blower assembly, clean the wheel with compressed air and a fin brush, and document the difference in airflow before and after. Blower cleaning in Royal Oak typically runs $80 to $150, and it’s a standard part of our whole-system job.

Condenser Cleaning
The condenser is the outdoor unit, and in Royal Oak it sits in yards shaded by mature oaks and maples. Cottonwood, maple samaras, and elm leaves pile against the coil fins every spring, and tree pollen coats the aluminum surface. A dirty condenser coil drives up head pressure and shortens compressor life. We wash the coil with a professional coil cleaner, straighten bent fins, and inspect the refrigerant line insulation. This isn’t a garden-hose job; done right it’s slow and methodical. Condenser cleaning in Royal Oak runs $100 to $200 depending on unit size and fin damage. We photograph the coil before and after.

Air Handler Cleaning
If your Royal Oak home or condo has a heat pump or a hydro-air system, you have an air handler instead of a furnace. Air handlers live in closets, attics, and utility rooms across Royal Oak’s condo buildings, and they collect dust in the blower cabinet, the coil, and the drain pan. A clogged drain pan in a hot attic breeds mold quickly, and in Royal Oak’s older condo buildings we often find drain lines that have never been cleaned since installation. We open the cabinet, clean the coil and blower, clear the condensate drain, and treat the pan with an antimicrobial. Air handler cleaning in Royal Oak runs $180 to $320, and we photograph every step.

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.
Before
AfterTrusted Brands We Service in Royal Oak
We service every major brand, but in Royal Oak we see a lot of Honeywell controls on retrofitted systems, and we carry a range of Honeywell replacement parts on the truck for faster turnaround. Our cleaning equipment includes Guardsman air tools and Rotobrush negative-pressure extraction machines, which matters when you’re dealing with the dust volumes Royal Oak’s old trunk lines produce. If you want to verify what we’re using before you agree to a price, the brand names are listed on your written estimate. That’s deliberate. You should know what’s coming into your house.
Common HVAC Cleaning Problems We See in Royal Oak Homes

- Oversized octopus trunk lines full of rust and debris. Royal Oak’s pre-1960 bungalows were often built for gravity warm-air heat. The trunk lines are huge, sometimes 20 to 24 inches in diameter, and they were never designed for the air velocity a modern blower pushes through them. That means decades of rust flakes, fibrous insulation, and construction dust accumulate in volumes that dwarf what a modern forced-air system collects system-wide.
- Deteriorated fiberglass lining inside mid-century ductwork. Some Royal Oak homes from the 1950s and 1960s have fiberglass-lined ducts. That lining breaks down over time, and the fibers end up in your air supply. A careless cleaning job with high-pressure air can dislodge even more of it and send it into living spaces. We inspect with a camera first, and we clean with negative pressure under NADCA standards, not with a high-velocity blast that turns a problem into a health issue.
- Poorly sealed seams pulling attic insulation into the ducts. When furnaces were retrofitted onto existing gravity trunks in Royal Oak basements, the connections were often hand-sealed with whatever was on hand. Fifty or sixty years later, those seams leak. The return side under negative pressure pulls attic insulation and wood dust into the duct system. After cleaning, we document seam condition and can seal them properly so the air you breathe stays clean.
- Mold colonization in unlined galvanized ducts. Royal Oak’s humid continental summers, combined with older homes that lack modern insulation, create persistent condensation inside unlined ductwork. That moisture supports mold growth. We photograph mold colonies when we find them, treat them with an antimicrobial, and document the condition of the metal underneath. If the duct lining is compromised beyond cleaning, we’ll say so in writing and give you a straight answer, not a scare story.
Pricing for HVAC Cleaning in Royal Oak, MI
Here’s what you’ll actually pay for HVAC cleaning in Royal Oak. A single-system whole-system cleaning, including evaporator coil, blower wheel, supply and return duct runs, and a documented photo record, runs $349 to $689 depending on system size, access, and the volume of debris we’re removing. A condo or small bungalow with one short trunk line and two or three branch runs sits at the lower end. A 1952 Cape Cod with a converted gravity furnace, a 22-inch trunk, and six upstairs runs sits at the higher end. Add-on services like air handler cleaning run $180 to $320. Condenser cleaning runs $100 to $200.
We quote the whole system before work starts, in writing. No per-vent pricing. No “found additional issues” phone call from the basement. Haven Standard Clause 1 means the number on your estimate is the number on your invoice. For an exact quote on your Royal Oak home, call (806) 606-6902. Your estimate is free, and it includes a written itemization of exactly what we’ll do for the price.
We Also Serve Cities Near Royal Oak

Our crews work in Royal Oak and the surrounding Oakland County communities, including Madison Heights, Sterling Heights, Warren, and Southfield. If you’re in one of those cities and want the same written-price, documented-photo approach we bring to Royal Oak homes, call us. For more on how we operate across the metro, see HVAC Cleaning in Royal Oak and the surrounding area.
Serving Royal Oak, MI - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Royal Oak 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 Royal Oak

They need a different approach because the ductwork is fundamentally different. Royal Oak’s older homes were built for gravity warm-air heat, with huge unlined galvanized trunk lines that were later adapted for forced-air blowers. Those trunks collect rust flakes, fibrous debris, and sometimes deteriorated fiberglass lining at volumes a modern system never sees. High-velocity air blasting without camera inspection can dislodge that lining or send asbestos insulation from pre-1970s retrofits into your living spaces. We inspect with a camera first, clean with negative pressure under NADCA standards, and document everything. If your Royal Oak home has original or early-generation ductwork, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll tell you what you’re dealing with.
Shared dryer vent stacks in Royal Oak condo buildings get cleaned from the rooftop or exterior vent opening, not from individual units, and we coordinate with building management to schedule the work so neighbors don’t get lint blown into their laundry rooms. The stack is cleared of lint from top to bottom with rotary brushes, and each unit’s lateral connection is inspected with a camera. Lint from one unit can block the common pathway, which is why the whole stack has to be addressed as one system. For a building-wide assessment of a shared vent stack in Royal Oak, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll provide a written scope and price.
Surface mold on galvanized duct interiors can usually be removed with antimicrobial treatment and negative-pressure cleaning, but the answer depends on what the camera finds. If the metal is sound and the mold is on the surface, we clean, treat, and document the result. If the duct has deep pitting, detached lining, or structural damage, cleaning alone won’t solve the problem, and we’ll tell you in writing what replacement would cost. In Royal Oak’s older homes, especially those with unlined galvanized trunks, we see both situations regularly. The camera tells the truth. Call (806) 606-6902 for a documented inspection and a straight answer.
No, if it’s done correctly. Those oversize trunk lines, often 20 to 24 inches in diameter, are heavier than modern ductwork, but they were never designed for the air pressure a modern blower produces. The danger comes from careless cleaning with high-velocity compressed air, which can damage loose seams and push debris through the system. We use negative-pressure extraction with rotating brushes under NADCA standards, which draws debris out rather than blasting it around. The camera inspection before and after shows the condition of the trunks, and we photograph every run. If you have a converted gravity furnace in Royal Oak, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll inspect it before quoting a price.
Royal Oak’s dense tree canopy means your return-air intakes pull in heavy spring pollen loads, and that pollen coats the inside of your ducts and your evaporator coil. Maple samaras and oak catkins also get drawn into the outdoor condenser. Homes on tree-lined streets near Vinsetta Boulevard or in the neighborhoods around Whittier Park typically need condenser cleaning every spring and duct cleaning more frequently than homes in less-wooded Oakland County suburbs. If your Royal Oak home sits under mature oaks or maples, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll tell you whether the inside of your ducts matches what the trees outside suggest.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning, serving Royal Oak since 2013.




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