Frequently Asked Questions - Air Duct Cleaning
Straight answers to the questions New York City homeowners ask us most, from real pricing to what actually happens during a cleaning. If your question isn't here, call (806) 606-6902 and our team will walk you through it.
Pricing & Cost FAQs
Air duct cleaning in New York City typically runs between $450 and $900 for a full system, depending on home size, the number of runs, and whether the ducts include a central return. Our locations provide a written flat price per system before any work begins, not a per-vent estimate that grows once the crew is on site. Prewar buildings in Manhattan and brownstones in Brooklyn often run higher because the ductwork is older and less accessible than newer construction in Queens or Staten Island. You'll know your exact number before you approve anything. Call (806) 606-6902 for a free written estimate.
Cheap quotes in New York City usually mean bait-and-switch pricing: a low per-vent or whole-house teaser number that becomes a much larger invoice once the tech arrives and "finds" extra issues. The Haven Standard requires a flat written price for the entire system, agreed to before the van shows up. That's clause one: have it in writing. You should also ask whether the quote includes before-and-after photos of every run. If it doesn't, you can't verify the work was done at all. Our crews photograph every run, every job, and the photos are part of your documentation.
Yes, but less than you'd expect. A 900-square-foot co-op in Queens may have eight to ten runs, while a 2,400-square-foot townhouse in Brooklyn might have fifteen. The price difference reflects the number of runs and how accessible they are, not the square footage itself. New York City apartments in older buildings often have shared risers or oddly routed ductwork, which adds time. Our written estimate accounts for all of that before we start. You'll see one number for your system, and that number doesn't change unless the scope changes with your signed approval.
No. Our flat price covers the entire system: supply ducts, return ducts, the plenum, the blower compartment, and the registers. We don't charge per vent or per duct run. Some New York City contractors price supplies and returns as separate line items to make the invoice bigger. Under The Haven Standard, clause five, there are no surprises and no door upsell. What you see in writing is what you pay. The only add-on we'd ever discuss is something you'd see in the photos yourself, like a blocked return that actually needs attention, and that would be your call to approve.
Routine air duct cleaning is typically not covered by homeowner's insurance, since it's considered maintenance rather than a covered peril. Some policies may cover duct cleaning if it's part of remediation after fire, smoke, or water damage. New York City co-op and condo policies are different from single-family homeowner policies, so your best move is to call your insurer and ask about your specific policy language. We can provide documentation of the work, including before-and-after photos and a written record, which helps if your insurance company requests proof. Call (806) 606-6902 for an exact quote on your system.
Service & Process FAQs
We connect a high-powered negative air machine to the main trunk line to pull the system under vacuum, then send rotating brush heads and agitation tools through each run to dislodge debris. The vacuum captures dust, hair, construction debris, and whatever else has accumulated. Every register is removed, cleaned, and reseated. The blower compartment and return plenum are accessed and cleaned, and the filter area is inspected. Then we photograph every run before and after, so you can see the difference. In New York City, we find everything from drywall dust in newer renovations to decades of soot in older buildings.
Most New York City homes take between three and five hours from setup to final walkthrough. Older buildings with inaccessible ducts, or apartments where the mechanical room is shared, can take longer. Our techs arrive within a scheduled window, not "sometime today." You'll get the name of your technician and a text when they're on the way. We'd rather take the time to do it right than rush through a system and leave debris behind. That's clause two of The Haven Standard: arrive on schedule, with a named tech and a real window.
Not much. Clear a path to the furnace or air handler area, and move anything fragile near floor registers if you're concerned. We bring all our own equipment, including HEPA-filtered collection and drop cloths. If you have pets, we ask that they be kept in a separate room while we work. In New York City apartments and co-ops, we coordinate with building management if the main unit is in a shared mechanical closet. Other than that, you can go about your day. We'll walk you through everything when we arrive and show you the photos before we leave.
Yes, if the dust is coming from the ducts themselves. When your system pushes air through dirty runs, it recirculates whatever lives in there: dust, pet dander, pollen, and sometimes mold spores. Cleaning the runs removes that source. But New York City apartments also pull in outdoor air from streets, windows, and hallways, so clean ducts are one part of the picture, not a cure-all. If you're seeing dust return to surfaces within days of cleaning, the ducts probably aren't the only source. We'll tell you what we found, with photos, so you can decide what else may need attention.
You should receive photographic evidence of every run, before and after. That's the entire reason CleanRun exists. We were founded in 2013 because the industry was full of companies that showed up with a shop vac and a coupon, made a lot of noise, and left without actually cleaning anything. A run is the trade word for a single duct line from plenum to register. We photograph each run before we start and after we finish, and those photos become part of your job record. If a company can't show you that evidence, you can't verify the work. That's our mission in one sentence: before and after, photographed, every run.
Brands & Parts FAQs
Our locations use professional-grade negative air machines and agitation equipment from manufacturers like Rotobrush, Abatement Technologies, and Nikro. These are industrial systems designed for whole-home duct cleaning, not portable carpet cleaners with a hose attachment. The negative air machine pulls the system under vacuum while rotating brushes knock debris loose from the duct walls. HEPA filtration on the collection side keeps the debris from blowing back into your New York City living space. The equipment matters, but the discipline matters more: photographing each run and documenting what was found.
Yes. The two main approaches are source removal and contact cleaning. Source removal uses a negative air machine to pull the system under vacuum while brushes or air whips dislodge debris, which is the industry-accepted method recommended by NADCA. Contact cleaning sends a rotating brush through each run, which is what we do in conjunction with negative air. Some companies use only a vacuum hose, which doesn't reach the duct walls. In New York City, where ductwork is often decades old and coated with accumulated grime, brush agitation makes a visible difference. The before-and-after photos prove it.
We focus on cleaning, but we do document what we find. If we spot a disconnected run, a crushed duct, or a gap in the plenum, we'll photograph it and show you on the spot. Whether you have us address it or bring in a dedicated HVAC contractor is your decision. We won't upsell you into a repair you don't need, and we won't ignore a problem we actually found. The Haven Standard, clause four, says evidence on every job: photos and readings of what we actually found, not what we felt like telling you.
A MERV 8 to MERV 13 filter is a solid range for most New York City homes, assuming your blower can handle the static pressure drop. MERV 8 catches the basics; MERV 13 catches finer particulates, which matters in a city with as much ambient street dust as New York. The most important thing is changing the filter on schedule, usually every one to three months depending on your specific system and household. A clogged filter reintroduces the exact problem you just paid to solve. We'll note your filter size and condition in your job record before we leave.
Licensing & Insurance FAQs
Every pro working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance their state requires. That's a network standard across all our locations, from the Bronx to Houston to Los Angeles. We don't list license numbers on a marketing page because requirements vary by municipality, but we're glad to provide documentation for your specific job. In New York City, many buildings also require liability certificates on file with the management office for any contractor entering the premises. We provide those certificates when they're requested. Call (806) 606-6902 and our team will verify everything for your address.
Yes. Background checks are a condition of working under the CleanRun name, as part of our verified crews standard. That's clause three of The Haven Standard: licensed, insured, background-checked, with the license number on the page. Every location in our network is independently owned and operated by a local business owner who agrees to work to this standard. We don't send anonymous subcontractors into your New York City apartment. The tech who shows up is part of the local team that covers your area, and they've been vetted before they ever put on the uniform.
Our technicians are trained to NADCA standards and our cleaning method follows NADCA's source-removal guidelines, which are the recognized industry best practice. Whether an individual tech holds a current NADCA Air Systems Cleaning Specialist certification depends on the specific local team and their state requirements. We're happy to answer that question specifically for the location covering your New York City address before you book. What we can tell you with certainty is the equipment, method, and documentation standard every job follows, regardless of which local team performs it.
Emergency & Response FAQs
We schedule duct cleaning as a planned service, and our booking team works with your availability. Our locations answer calls and schedule jobs Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 7:30 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 7:00 AM to 6:30 PM. We don't frame duct cleaning as an emergency service, because duct cleaning is a scheduled maintenance job, not something that needs a same-day dash. You'll get a real appointment window, the name of your technician, and a text when they're on the way. That's clause two of The Haven Standard.
Same-day duct cleaning isn't something we promise, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Duct cleaning done right takes three to five hours of actual work, plus equipment setup and a walkthrough with photos. A company that shows up the same afternoon with a coupon price probably isn't doing the job the same way. We schedule in advance, with a real window, a named tech, and a text when they're on the way. Call (806) 606-6902 and our coordinator will find the soonest available slot in your area and give you a written price for your system.
Mold and pest concerns are worth taking seriously, and they require more than a quick vacuum pass. If you see visible mold growth around registers or inside the ducts you can see, the right move is an inspection first. We'll photograph what we find and give you an honest assessment of whether cleaning is appropriate or whether the issue needs a different kind of remediation. For pest activity, the ducts may need cleaning after the underlying pest problem is handled by a licensed exterminator. In New York City, building-wide issues in co-ops and condos often need coordination with management. We'll document what we find so you can make an informed call.
Warranty & Guarantees FAQs
Every job includes a written warranty as part of your documentation, in line with The Haven Standard clause one: have it in writing, flat price, written scope, written warranty, before anyone starts. The specific warranty terms depend on your location and the scope of work, but you'll have them in your hand before the first register comes off. We also give you before-and-after photos of every run, which is the real guarantee. A warranty is a promise about the future; the photos are proof of what happened on the day.
The Haven Standard is the set of commitments every CleanRun location works to, and it's stamped on every job we do in New York City and across the country. Five clauses: have it in writing before anyone starts; arrive on schedule with a named tech and a text; verified crews, licensed and background-checked; evidence on every job with photos and readings; no surprises, no door upsell, no scope creep. It exists because the duct cleaning industry has a reputation problem, and the only way to fix that is to document the work. Before and after, photographed, every run.
CleanRun locations are independently owned and operated by local business owners in their markets, held to the same standard nationwide. The local business is their license, their trucks, their neighbors. What CleanRun contributes is the standard they agree to work to, the documentation system that proves the work, and the buying power that keeps pricing honest. Tomas Reyes leads the network that maintains those standards across every market we serve, from New York City and Brooklyn to Chicago, Phoenix, and beyond. When you call (806) 606-6902, you're connected with the local team that covers your address.
Every three to five years is a reasonable baseline for most New York City homes, but the real answer depends on your building. If you renovated recently, have pets that shed heavily, live near a high-traffic corridor, or the previous occupants smoked, you may want cleaning sooner. New York City apartments with shared ventilation or older ductwork sometimes need attention more frequently. We won't sell you a cleaning you don't need. If your ducts are still clean inside, the photos will show that too, and we'll tell you to save your money. That honesty is the whole point of photographing every run.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning, serving New York City since 2013.
Still Have Questions?
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(806) 606-6902