Cleaned, dry times still long
The run is undersized or has too many bends, or a shared manifold is carrying more machines than it was built for. That is a duct redesign rather than a cleaning problem.
Laundry Equipment10,702 businesses licensed for it
Dryer vent and exhaust duct cleaning
A lint-packed dryer exhaust is the reason most commercial dryers slow down, overheat and lock out, and it is a recognized fire cause in laundromats, hotels and salons. Work covers clearing the full duct run rather than the first few feet, checking and repairing the termination at the roof or wall, replacing crushed or illegal flexible sections, and confirming airflow afterwards. Duct repair and replacement is C-20 and C-43 work in California, so the trade is licensed even though the cleaning itself is not.
Enter your ZIP to see the businesses listed for this trade nearest to your site, with their phone numbers.
- Free to searchno account, nothing to submit
- Public registersevery listing names its source
- License numberswhere the state publishes one
- Directyou call the business yourself
- Our estimate
- $180-$3,200
- Time on site
- 1.5-8 hrs
- Fault patterns covered
- 2
- Licensed for this trade itself
- 10,702
What dryer vent and exhaust duct cleaning costs
Most of these jobs land near $420. The full spread runs $180 to $3,200, and the gap between those two ends is diagnosis against replacement rather than one business being dearer than another.
What moves it: how much of the job is parts, whether the fault is found in the first hour or the third, access to the equipment, and the hour of the day you call. We never speak to the businesses listed here, so there is no rate card behind any of this. It is our own band for the category, and there is no regional index: the figure does not change with your metro.
| How soon you need it | Typical | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled visitBooked in advance, no urgency multiplier applied | $420 | $180 to $3,200 |
| Same dayOur band multiplied by 1.12 | $470 | $200 to $3,585 |
| Emergency calloutOur band multiplied by 1.35 | $565 | $245 to $4,320 |
Our estimate from national cost bands, not a quote from any business. Every row is the same band with the urgency multiplier the site applies everywhere else, so this table can never contradict the headline number. Ask for a written price before the work starts.
Who is licensed to do this work
In California the classification that squarely covers this is C-20 warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning, and the register says who holds it. Every listing on this site shows the classification, the license number and the date we read it, with a link back to the register entry so you can check it against the state rather than against us.
Overlapping classifications exist and are labeled as overlapping rather than as a match: C-38 refrigeration, C-4 boiler, hot water heating and steam fitting, C-43 sheet metal and D-62 air and water balancing. A general building contractor may hold the job and subcontract the trade, which is a real answer and a different one, so the card says which of the two you are looking at.
One thing worth being plain about: CSLB classifications do not distinguish commercial work from residential. There is no separate commercial license to hold and no register field that would prove one. That is why this page describes the equipment rather than the contractor, and why nothing here says a business has been checked out. We read a public record on a stated date. That is the whole claim.
Before you pay for a callout
Two minutes of checks that sometimes end the problem
We would rather you did not need a callout at all. These are the checks that end the most calls for this fault.
Try a quick fix first
Some issues resolve without a truck roll. Two minutes now can save the callout.
- 1
Time a dry cycle now and write it down. Cycle time is the honest measure of whether the duct is restricted, and it is also how you prove the clean worked.
- 2
Look at the termination outside. A flap held open by lint, a bird screen packed solid or a crushed cap is often the entire restriction and it is visible from the ground.
- 3
Check for flexible foil duct behind the machines. It is not permitted for commercial dryer exhaust, it collapses, and it collects lint faster than anything else.
- 4
On a bank of machines, ask whether the run is shared. A shared manifold that was never sized properly makes every machine slow and no amount of cleaning fixes it.
What the visit actually includes
- Full accessible duct run cleaned from the machine to the termination
- Termination and cap inspection and clearing
- Replacement of crushed, disconnected or non-compliant sections
- Airflow measurement before and after
- Note on duct sizing where the run is shared between machines
Diagnosis
How dryer vent faults usually present
Written from how these faults actually present on a working premises, not from a manual.
Lint blowing out into the ceiling void
A duct joint that has come apart above the ceiling. It is a fire load in a concealed space, which is the worst place for one.
Listed for this trade
Businesses listed for dryer vent
Read from public license registers, so there is no ranking here and no distance: this page has no location to measure from. Enter your ZIP to sort by who is nearest to your site.
By location
Dryer vent and exhaust duct cleaning near you
Local pages show which businesses are listed for that metro, how far out they sit, and the local conditions that drive demand.
Counted from the businesses we have imported for each metro center inside a 25 mile radius, and counting only those whose own license classification names this trade. General contractors licensed widely enough to take it on and subcontract it are excluded here, and still appear in a search. A metro reads “none yet” until we load a register that covers this trade there.
All coverage areasQuestions owners ask
Dryer vent FAQs
Short, specific answers. If yours is not here, ask the business you call before you agree to the visit.
Who is licensed for this?
Cleaning is not licensed. Repairing, replacing or resizing the duct is C-20 warm-air heating and ventilating work in California, and C-43 sheet metal, which is why the businesses listed here hold those classifications.
How often should this be done?
At least annually for commercial use, and considerably more often for a laundromat or a hotel running machines all day. Rising cycle times are the signal, not the calendar.
Can I just clean it myself?
The first few feet, yes. A full commercial run through a ceiling or up to a roof needs the right rods and a vacuum, and the parts you cannot reach are the parts that matter.
Related work
Often booked in the same visit
Batching jobs into one mobilization is the cheapest way to buy this kind of work.
WasherMachines not filling, not draining, not spinning, error codes and leaking seals.from $180DryerDryers not heating, tumbling but cold, long dry times and burner lockouts.from $180Walk-in coolerCooler not holding temperature, iced coils, failed compressors and door seals.from $260Water heaterNo hot water, lukewarm supply, leaking tanks, pilot faults and tankless error codes.from $220
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Ready when you are
Need dryer vent sorted?
Search your ZIP to see the businesses listed for this trade nearest to your site, with the license numbers and phone numbers we hold, then call them yourself.
- Cost to search
- Free
- Account needed
- None
- Who you call
- The business