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.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across San Rafael
Dryer vent cleaning in San Rafael typically runs $149 – $279 for a standard single-dryer home, and most jobs take 60 – 90 minutes from setup to before-and-after photos. We cover every San Rafael neighborhood, from Gerstle Park to Terra Linda, with background-checked techs who run Rotobrush and Nikro equipment, not shop vacs. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team gives you a written price before any work starts, and that number does not change when we arrive. Call (737) 727-2314 and a live person answers, day or night.
Why Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning Is San Rafael’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
San Rafael homeowners call us because we do not do the bait-and-switch routine this trade is known for. A written price is handed to you before a single duct is touched, and it covers the whole system, not a per-vent meter that ticks upward while the tech peers into each register. That flat price per system has been our standard since day one, and it is why reviews from San Rafael customers keep mentioning the same thing: the number on the quote matched the number on the invoice.
Omar Haddad, who leads Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning, built the San Rafael operation around one idea: total visibility. You get a live trackable arrival window before the tech shows up, before-and-after photo proof of the work, and a digital invoice you can pay from your phone. Every booking, without exception. And the 365-Day Done Right Promise means if the work isn’t right within a full year, we return and correct it at no charge.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Company in San Rafael
A Dryer Vent Cleaning Company in San Rafael has to understand what is actually inside the walls of these homes, because so much of the city’s housing stock dates back before 1960. That means long flex duct runs through crawlspaces and attics, with bends and sags that collect lint in places a homeowner can never see or reach. Our crew does not just vacuum at the trap and call it done. We run a camera down the full length of the vent to find the real blockage, then use agitation tools to break up compacted lint and pull everything out under negative pressure with HEPA filtration at the exhaust. Negative pressure means the loosened debris goes straight into the vacuum, not back into your laundry room.
How We Clean Every San Rafael Dryer Vent
The process starts with an inspection of the full run, from the dryer connection to the exterior termination. In older San Rafael homes, that run often passes through a crawlspace or attic where the flex duct has sagged, crushed, or pulled apart at a joint. We clean from both ends where the layout allows, and we show you the before-and-after photos so there is no guesswork about what was actually done.
What a Flat Price Per System Actually Covers
When we say one flat price, we mean the entire dryer vent system, regardless of how many feet of duct run through your attic. No per-vent fees, no add-on surprise once the tech has seen the crawlspace. The quote we hand you before work begins is the price on the invoice at the end. That is the whole point.
Dryer Vent Inspection in San Rafael
A Dryer Vent Inspection in San Rafael is often the smarter first move, especially if your home was built before 1960 and you have never seen the inside of the vent run. The inspection includes a camera feed through the full length of the duct, checking for crushed or disconnected flex, bird or rodent nests at the termination, and lint compaction that has hardened into a felted layer. Most San Rafael inspections run $89 – $149 as a standalone service, and if we then do the cleaning, that inspection fee is credited toward the job.
Camera Inspection Catches What Eyes Cannot
Old San Rafael homes frequently have flex duct that has been stepped on in a crawlspace or chewed through by rodents in an attic. A camera shows us exactly what is happening inside the run before we touch anything. Without that step, a tech can report a “clean” vent that still has a hidden lint pathway running through a disconnected joint. We do not skip the camera.
Bird Guard and Cap Check at the Exterior
The exterior vent cap on San Rafael homes takes a beating from wind, rain, and curious wildlife. During the inspection we verify the cap is present, the damper operates, and no bird or rodent activity has blocked the exhaust. If a guard is needed, we can install one the same visit.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Rafael
We work on all dryer makes and models, and we stock Aprilaire and Honeywell filtration components for San Rafael customers who want to upgrade the air quality side of their laundry setup. Our equipment fleet includes Nikro HEPA extraction units and Rotobrush rotary cleaning systems, because old flex runs in San Rafael crawlspaces demand professional-grade removal power, not a shop vac and a prayer. If your dryer vent uses Abatement Technologies containment for a particularly messy attic run, we carry that too. Parts for common San Rafael configurations are in our local inventory, so most jobs complete in a single visit.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in San Rafael Homes
- Felted lint compaction in old flex duct: In pre-1960 homes around Gerstle Park and the Miracle Mile, years of heat and moisture turn loose lint into a dense mat inside the ribbed flex duct. It will not blow out with a leaf blower. It needs agitation tools and strong extraction.
- Crushed or disconnected runs under the house: San Rafael crawlspaces are tight, and decades of plumbers, electricians, and homeowners moving through them leave a lot of damaged flex duct in their wake. We regularly find runs that are fully pinched or pulled apart, which is why we camera every job.
- Bird and rodent nests at the exterior termination: Homes near the San Rafael hills and open space see real wildlife pressure at the vent cap. A bird guard install is often the difference between cleaning once and cleaning twice a year.
- Long, twisting runs through attics: Ranch homes in Terra Linda and Santa Venetia often route dryer vents through the attic with multiple elbows to reach a far gable or soffit. Every bend is a lint collection point. Flat-rate cleaning covers the whole run regardless of length.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Rafael, CA
A standard dryer vent cleaning in San Rafael runs $149 – $279 for a single-dryer home. That includes the camera inspection, the full run cleaning, the cap check, and before-and-after photos. Homes with very long runs, two dryers, or significant blockages requiring extra agitation may fall at the upper end of that range, and the exact quote is always in writing before anything begins. If you add a bird guard, cap replacement, or a reroute, we quote those as separate line items so nothing is buried. Call (737) 727-2314 for a free estimate on your specific San Rafael home.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Rafael
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Rafael crews also cover Larkspur, Kentfield, Corte Madera, and San Anselmo. If you are just across the 101 in one of those communities, the same flat pricing and written-guarantee standard applies. Scheduling is coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office, with crews dispatched locally to your neighborhood.
Serving San Rafael, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Rafael 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 Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Rafael
Once a year for most San Rafael households, and every six months if your vent run is long and twisting through a crawlspace or attic, or if you do more than five loads a week. Homes built before 1960 with original flex duct tend to accumulate lint faster because of the ribbed interior surface. The honest answer: if your dryer is taking noticeably longer to dry a load, the vent is already overdue. Call (737) 727-2314 and we can camera the run and tell you whether it needs cleaning now or can wait.
A full cleaning runs $149 – $279 and includes a camera inspection of the entire run, mechanical agitation to break up compacted lint, negative-pressure HEPA extraction, a check of the exterior cap and damper, and before-and-after photos. The whole thing usually takes under 90 minutes. We hand you a written price before any work starts and it covers the entire system, not a per-vent or per-foot tally. Call (737) 727-2314 for your exact quote.
Because so much of San Rafael’s housing stock predates 1960, the dryer vents were often installed as long flex duct runs through crawlspaces and attics rather than short rigid pipe. Flex duct sags, crushes, and traps lint in the ribs. A proper cleaning on those homes requires camera verification and agitation from the inside of the run, not just a vacuum at the trap. That is the difference between a vent that looks clean from the outside and one that is actually clear from end to end.
Yes. The National Fire Protection Association has repeatedly identified dryer vent lint as a leading cause of residential dryer fires, and long flex runs in old San Rafael homes are exactly the configuration where ignition happens. Lint is highly flammable, and when it blocks the exhaust, heat builds inside the dryer and the duct. Cleaning the full run once a year removes the fuel source. If your dryer has been running hot or taking multiple cycles, call (737) 727-2314 to schedule an inspection.
We could, but we will not. On San Rafael homes, skipping the camera inspection means we might miss a crushed or disconnected flex duct that is still trapping lint out of sight. We run the camera before and after every cleaning, and the inspection fee is credited toward the job when we clean. You deserve to see the inside of the run with your own eyes, and our before-and-after photos give you that proof. Call (737) 727-2314 to book.
Call Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning for Dryer Vent Cleaning in San Rafael
We ran a job in Gerstle Park where the homeowner’s dryer had been taking two cycles to dry a load, and the flex duct in the crawlspace behind the laundry room was packed with felted lint from years of use. Omar Haddad’s team fed a camera down the run, broke up the compaction with agitation tools, then pulled everything out under negative pressure with HEPA filtration at the exhaust. The before-and-after photos showed a run that went from nearly blocked to completely clear, and the dryer dried a full load in one cycle that same afternoon.
That is what honest dryer vent work looks like in San Rafael. One flat price per system agreed before we start. Camera proof of every run. Before-and-after photos of your own ducts. And the 365-Day Done Right Promise behind every single job. Call (737) 727-2314 now for a free estimate. A live person answers.
Written by Omar Haddad, Owner at Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning, serving San Rafael.