A typical single-family home takes two to four hours. The exact time depends on the size of the home, the number of vents and returns, and how much buildup is inside the system.
A townhouse with one system and a dozen vents sits at the shorter end of that range. A larger home with two HVAC systems, finished basement runs and years of buildup takes longer. Homes that have never been cleaned, or that just went through a renovation, take the longest because there is simply more material to remove.
Here is what actually happens during those hours. We start by walking the system: locating every supply and return, checking the blower compartment, and noting anything unusual. Then the trunk line goes under negative air. Registers come off one zone at a time and are cleaned individually. Agitation tools run through every supply and return run to break buildup loose so the vacuum can pull it out. The blower area gets wiped down. Finally, we verify the work with photos and walk it with you.
Every one of those steps takes time, and skipping any of them is how a job gets done in 45 minutes. Be cautious of any company quoting under an hour for a whole house. A real cleaning means every register off and cleaned, the trunk line under negative air, agitation through every run, and the blower area wiped down. That simply cannot be done in 45 minutes, no matter how many people are on the crew.
Add-on services change the clock too. Dryer vent cleaning usually adds 30 to 60 minutes and is easy to combine with the duct cleaning while we are already at the house. Sanitizing treatments add a bit of time as well. If you want everything done in one visit, just mention it when you call and we will quote the combined job.
When we quote a job, we tell you the expected time up front so you can plan your day around it. Most homeowners leave for a few hours or work from a back room, and come back to a system that is genuinely clean with the photos to prove it.