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 San Francisco
Air duct cleaning in San Francisco typically costs $450 – $750 for a full system on a standard single-family home, and we schedule most jobs within 3 to 5 business days. The honest problem in this city is that older housing stock was never designed for ducted HVAC, so ducts snake through attics, wall cavities, and crawlspaces in ways that make cheap per-vent cleaning useless. Our Air Duct Cleaning team works across San Francisco with camera inspection, negative-pressure extraction, and one flat price per system agreed before a single vent is touched. Call (737) 727-2314 for a straight answer and a written quote.
Why Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning Is San Francisco’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
Most San Francisco homeowners we meet have never once looked inside their ducts. That’s not a criticism, it’s just how houses here work. Ducts hide in places nobody goes. What sets us apart in San Francisco is that we show you what we find. Every job includes before-and-after photographs of your own ducts, taken with an inspection camera, so you can see exactly what was removed and what the runs look like when we’re done.
Our technicians are background-checked, uniformed, and work with professional-grade equipment: Rotobrush rotary brush systems for agitation and Nikro HEPA vacuums for negative-pressure extraction. That term matters. Negative-pressure extraction means the debris we loosen goes directly into the vacuum unit, not back into your living room. In tight San Francisco apartments and flats, that distinction is the whole ballgame.
We’re part of the Relay Home Co. family, founded 2005, and every booking runs on The Relay Standard: a live arrival window you can track from your phone, a written price before work begins, and a digital invoice you can pay by link. Omar Haddad, who leads our San Francisco operation, built the team around one rule: no surprises, ever. If the work isn’t right within 365 days, we come back and make it right at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it applies to every booking without exception.
Commercial Air Duct Cleaning in San Francisco
Commercial Air Duct Cleaning in San Francisco means working around tenants, business hours, and buildings where the ductwork is older than the company occupying it. We handle offices, restaurants, retail spaces, and multi-unit residential buildings across the city. The process is the same as residential work but scaled: camera inspection first, then agitation with Rotobrush equipment, extraction under HEPA-filtered negative pressure, and full documentation with before-and-after photos. Commercial jobs in San Francisco typically run $850 – $1,600 depending on square footage, number of units, and duct accessibility. Every commercial quote is a written flat price per system, agreed before we start.
Retrofitted Buildings and Old Construction
Many San Francisco commercial spaces sit in buildings erected between 1900 and 1940. Duct systems were often cut in decades later, which means long runs, awkward transitions, and joints that have worked loose over forty years of seismic settling. We inspect every accessible section before cleaning begins so you know what you’re paying for.
After-Hours Scheduling for Tenanted Spaces
We schedule commercial work around occupancy, not the other way around. For restaurants and offices in neighborhoods like SoMa, the Mission, and North Beach, that usually means early morning or evening slots. Your written quote includes the full scope, and the price does not change when we arrive.
Air Duct Cleaning Services in San Francisco
Air Duct Cleaning Services in San Francisco cover the full run: supply ducts, return ducts, the air handler compartment, and registers. We do residential and commercial work. A standard single-family home in neighborhoods like the Richmond, Sunset, or Noe Valley runs $450 – $750 for a full system clean with camera inspection and before-and-after photos included. Condos and smaller flats run $350 – $550. Larger homes with multiple systems or extensive retrofit ductwork run $700 – $1,000. Every quote is one flat price per system, written down, agreed before work starts. No per-vent pricing. Ever.
Camera Inspection Before Every Quote
We don’t quote blind. Before you pay anything, we run an inspection camera through your ducts to see what’s actually in there. In San Francisco’s older homes this step catches problems per-vent pricing misses entirely, like a duct that terminates open in a wall cavity instead of at a register.
Full System Cleaning, Not Just the Registers
A real clean means the entire system, not the six feet of duct visible behind the vent cover. We clean supply trunks, return runs, the air handler, and the plenum. In San Francisco, where return ducts often pull air from damp garages or crawlspaces, this matters more than most homeowners realize.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in San Francisco
We work on all major duct and HVAC configurations and carry filtration products from Aprilaire, Guardsman, and Honeywell for San Francisco customers who want better air quality after their ducts are clean. Our equipment fleet includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems, Nikro HEPA vacuums, and Abatement Technologies containment units. If your system uses standard flex duct, rigid metal duct, or a mix of both, we’re equipped for it. We keep common filter sizes and duct components stocked locally so San Francisco jobs move quickly from quote to completion.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in San Francisco Homes
- Fog-belt microbial growth: In neighborhoods like the Outer Sunset, Outer Richmond, and Ingleside, summer fog keeps humidity high. Ducts that run through unheated attics collect condensation, and that dampness encourages mold and mildew inside the runs.
- Rodent activity in retrofitted ducts: Old San Francisco homes have gaps at foundation sills and wall penetrations. Mice and rats find their way into duct runs, leaving nests, droppings, and urine that recirculate every time the system turns on.
- Separated flex duct at collar joints: Seismic settling and amateur retrofits loosen connections over time. A separated joint in an attic means heated or cooled air dumps into the joist bay while the system pulls whatever is in the crawlspace back into the house.
- Clogged returns from central heating retrofits: Many San Francisco homes added forced air decades after construction. Return air paths get undersized or blocked by furniture, forcing the system to pull dust and debris through every gap it can find.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in San Francisco, CA
Whole-system air duct cleaning in San Francisco runs $450 – $750 for a standard single-family home. Condos and small flats run $350 – $550. Large homes, multi-zone systems, or heavy contamination run $700 – $1,000. Commercial spaces start around $850 and scale with square footage and duct complexity. The price is one flat rate per system, written before work begins, and it does not change at the door. Factors that affect cost here include duct length, number of registers, accessibility (attic, crawlspace, or basement), and whether the system has never been cleaned in a retrofit home. Call (737) 727-2314 for a free estimate with a camera inspection included.
We Also Serve Cities Near San Francisco
If you’re just outside the city, we cover San Francisco plus Daly City, Brisbane, Sausalito, and South San Francisco. San Francisco’s housing stock and climate carry into these surrounding communities, so our team brings the same process, the same equipment, and the same flat per-system pricing wherever you are.
Serving San Francisco, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the San Francisco 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 Air Duct Cleaning in San Francisco
Every 3 to 5 years is realistic for most San Francisco homes. If you have pets, live in a fog-belt neighborhood like the Outer Sunset, or your ducts run through a crawlspace with rodent activity, you may need it more often. If your system was cleaned properly last year, you probably don’t need it again yet. Call (737) 727-2314 and we’ll tell you honestly whether a cleaning is worth it.
We charge one flat price per system. Per-vent pricing in San Francisco hides real problems, like a duct that terminates open in a wall cavity instead of at a register. You get a written price for the whole job before we start, and it does not change. Call (737) 727-2314 for a quote with camera inspection included.
A real cleaning agitates debris loose with rotary brushes, extracts it under HEPA-filtered negative pressure so nothing blows back into your living space, and cleans the air handler compartment as well. We finish with before-and-after photos of your own ducts so you can verify the work. Call (737) 727-2314 and we’ll walk you through it.
Yes. Dryer vent cleaning is a separate service we perform throughout San Francisco, and in older buildings with long vent runs it matters just as much as duct cleaning. A clogged dryer vent is a fire hazard and should be cleared regularly. Ask about adding it when you call (737) 727-2314 for your duct cleaning quote.
Yes, and it should. A 1920s Edwardian or Mission Revival building in San Francisco almost certainly had its ducts retrofitted, which means longer runs, more joints, and more places for things to go wrong. We inspect first with a camera, then build your quote around what we actually find. Call (737) 727-2314 for a straight assessment.
Written by Omar Haddad, Owner at Cardinal Air Duct Cleaning, serving San Francisco with flat per-system pricing and the 365-Day Done Right Promise.