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 Chicago
Air duct cleaning in Chicago costs $390-$780 for a full system on a typical bungalow or two-flat, and most jobs are completed in 4-6 hours. We work the bungalow belt from Portage Park to Clearing and the pre-war flats up in Rogers Park, so the ductwork buried in your basement isn’t a mystery to us. If you’re seeing dust settle within days of wiping a surface or your furnace kicks on and the air smells like a crawlspace, call (806) 606-6902. We’ll give you a written price before a single panel comes off.
Why CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Is Chicago’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’re the shop other companies call when the job involves a converted coal furnace, a crushed return in a limestone basement, or a three-flat owner who needs per-unit documentation. Tomas Reyes leads our Chicago crews under the H.A.V.E.N. Standard, and since 2013 we’ve built our reputation in Chicago on one thing: showing homeowners what’s inside their ducts before we ask them to pay for cleaning them. Every job comes with a Documented Photo Record of every duct run, inside, before and after. The written price lands before work starts. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is in writing on every invoice, not a line item a manager has to approve later.
Local reviews from Chicago homeowners consistently mention the same thing: the photos. In a city with 80,000 bungalows and thousands of converted two-flats, the first question is never “how long will it take.” It’s “can you prove it was actually cleaned?” We can. That’s why homeowners in Jefferson Park, Beverly, and Logan Square call us back when they buy a second property or pass our name to a neighbor. The Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from the brand’s Chicago office, so a Chicago call gets a Chicago crew.
Our Air Duct Cleaning Services in Chicago
Residential Duct Cleaning
Most Chicago homes have ductwork that was retrofitted into spaces never designed for it. That means horizontal trunk lines hugging basement ceilings, supply runs squeezed between joists, and returns boxed into closet corners. We clean the entire system using negative-pressure extraction, which creates suction at the unit while agitation tools dislodge debris inside each run. We do not use positive pressure alone, which on a sealed-up Chicago winter home just blows coal dust and debris back through your registers and into the living room.
Commercial Duct Cleaning
Chicago’s pre-war courtyard buildings and three-flats need per-unit cleaning done without disturbing tenants above or below. Our commercial crews work building-by-building, unit-by-unit, documenting each run’s before and after condition so an owner in Lincoln Square can hand a tenant in unit 2 photos of their own ductwork. Written scopes, written prices, and a photo record per unit are standard. No shared trunk line gets cleaned half-way.
Supply Duct Cleaning
Supply ducts deliver conditioned air to your rooms. In a Chicago bungalow, supply runs often date to a 1950s gas conversion and were never engineered for the air volume a modern furnace pushes. We find crushed sections, disconnected elbows, and original galvanized round trunk that still carries coal-era residue. Cleaning supply ducts means source removal, not just loosening debris and hoping it blows out. We agitate, extract, and then camera-verify every run before we seal it back up.
Return Duct Cleaning
Return ducts pull air from your living space back to the furnace. In Chicago’s older homes, return paths are often improvised: a stud cavity, a boxed-in chase, a gap around a door. These pull debris from unconditioned spaces, and on a polar-vortex winter night, that means pulling in whatever is hiding behind your plaster walls. Cleaning return ductwork properly includes checking for disconnected sections that draw from a crawlspace or wall cavity, then sealing them. Our Air Duct Cleaning team includes return-run camera inspection on every full-system job.
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 Chicago
We run professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush and Nikro, with negative-pressure units sized for Chicago’s long basement trunk runs and tight mechanical rooms. For filtration and air-quality components, we service and maintain Honeywell and Aprilaire systems, including media cabinets and bypass humidifiers common in Chicago’s sealed-up winter homes. If a duct run needs antimicrobial treatment after mold colonization from Lake Michigan’s summer humidity, we use Abatement Technologies application equipment with products specified for HVAC surfaces. You can look up every brand we run before you agree to a price.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Chicago Homes
- Coal-era residue in converted bungalow ducts. Chicago’s roughly 80,000 brick bungalows were built 1910-1940 before forced-air heating existed. Their ductwork was retrofitted mid-century by converting coal-fired gravity ‘octopus’ furnaces to gas, and the original galvanized trunk lines have often never been professionally cleaned.
- Disconnected trunk lines behind plaster walls. In pre-war two-flats and three-flats, we camera-inspect runs that were installed piecemeal over decades. A disconnected return behind a lath-and-plaster wall pulls air from an unconditioned cavity, dragging in dust, insulation fibers, and occasionally mouse debris.
- Crushed supply runs in tight basement ceilings. Bungalow basements have low clearance. Storage boxes, plumbing work, and careless remodels crush the thin-gauge sheet metal used in the 1950s. A crushed run restricts airflow and forces your furnace to work harder.
- Basement duct condensation and mold. Lake Michigan keeps Chicago summers humid. Basement duct runs cold from central AC become condensation points, and mold takes hold. We clean, treat with HVAC-specified antimicrobials, and document the after condition so you can see the difference.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Chicago, IL
A full-system residential duct cleaning in Chicago runs $390-$780 depending on home size, number of runs, and accessibility. A standard bungalow with 10-14 runs typically lands at $450-$650. Two-flats and three-flats priced per unit run $250-$420 per unit. Video inspection is included in every full-system job, not an add-on. If we find disconnected or crushed runs during the camera pass, we quote duct repair and sealing separately, in writing, before any additional work starts. The price you get is the price you pay. No per-vent pricing, no bait-and-switch. Bring a competitor’s written estimate and we’ll put our number next to it, free. Call (806) 606-6902 for a written quote.
We Also Serve Cities Near Chicago
Our crews work throughout Air Duct Cleaning in Chicago and the surrounding metro, including Cicero, Evanston, Arlington Heights, and Schaumburg. If you’re in the bungalow belt or a pre-war suburb with converted coal furnaces, give us a call at (806) 606-6902 and we’ll get a written price to you before the crew arrives.
Serving Chicago, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chicago 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 - Air Duct Cleaning in Chicago
In a bungalow that has never had professional duct cleaning, our camera inspection commonly finds a 1-3 inch caked layer of dust, coal-era particulate, and construction debris at the first elbow from the trunk line. That’s decades of accumulation, not a few years. Some runs are worse; original 1950s galvanized round trunk ducts on Portage Park and Clearing jobs have shown blackened residue that predates the gas conversion by over a decade. The only way to know is a camera pass, which we include in every full-system quote. Call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll show you photos of your own ducts.
Yes. We clean per unit, sealing off the trunk line connections to other units so the negative-pressure extraction only pulls from the unit being cleaned. The photo record is per unit as well, so an owner can hand each tenant documentation of their own ductwork. Written scope, written price, per-unit photos. That’s how we handle every multi-unit job in Chicago.
In older Chicago homes, cleaning alone is often not enough. Camera inspection frequently finds disconnected trunk lines, crushed returns, and gaps at the plenum connection that pull debris back in after cleaning. We quote sealing and repair work separately, in writing, after you’ve seen the photos. You make the call with the evidence in front of you.
Lake Michigan’s summer humidity raises indoor moisture levels sharply, and basement duct runs cooled by central AC become condensation points. In sealed-up pre-war basements with limestone foundations and no vapor barriers, that condensation feeds mold colonization inside the ducts and carries into the next heating season. We see it most in bungalows and older two-flats. Cleaning removes the buildup; treating with HVAC-specified antimicrobials protects against recolonization. We document both.
If there’s no photo record or written invoice from a previous cleaning, assume they haven’t been. Chicago bungalows built 1910-1940 had ductwork retrofitted mid-century, and most have never been professionally cleaned since. If you’re buying or already own one of those 80,000 bungalows, call (806) 606-6902. We’ll camera-inspect your ducts and show you what’s actually in there.
Call CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning in Chicago Today
If you own a Chicago bungalow, a pre-war two-flat, or any older home with retrofitted ductwork, the evidence matters. We’ll show you photos of what’s inside your ducts before you pay a dollar. Written price before work starts, every duct run photographed before and after, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing. Call (806) 606-6902 for a free estimate and a camera inspection on us.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning, serving Chicago under the H.A.V.E.N. Standard since 2013.
Air Duct Cleaning in Nearby Areas
