Is duct cleaning a scam?

You have seen the coupons: whole-house duct cleaning, $99, act now. An HVAC company telling you to skip an HVAC service is unusual, so here is the source material: the EPA’s own guidance says duct cleaning “has never been shown to actually prevent health problems,” that studies do not conclusively show dirty ducts raise particle levels in the home, and, pointedly, that you should not hire companies that recommend duct cleaning as a routine part of maintenance. That last sentence describes most of the coupons.

Why the intuition fails: most of the dust in a duct adheres to the duct surfaces. It sits there. It is not blowing into your living room, which is why cleaning it produces before-and-after photos that look dramatic and indoor air that measures the same. The $99 offer also frequently functions as a foot in the door, with the real invoice assembled once the crew is in your attic.

The three cases where cleaning is legitimate, per the EPA: visible mold growth inside the ducts, vermin infestation, or ducts actually clogged with debris to the point of restricting airflow. Those are real, they are also rare, and they announce themselves: you can usually see or smell the problem at the registers.

The duct problem that actually takes your money is leakage. Kern County ducts mostly run through attics that hit 140 degrees, and leaky runs dump your paid-for cold air into that attic every cycle, all summer. That is not a health theory, it is a meter reading. Duct sealing and repair runs $189 to $980, attacks a measurable problem, and shows up on the electric bill. If a company in your attic says “cleaning,” ask them about sealing, and watch whether the conversation gets more honest or less.

If you genuinely suspect mold or vermin, we will look and tell you straight, including when the right answer is a different specialist. That costs $89 and it is the same answer whether or not it leads to work.