Chimney costs
How much does dryer vent cleaning cost?
$100–$200 for a short accessible run. Length, bends and where it comes out are what move it.
$100 to $200 for an accessible ground-floor run, and the length is what changes it.
Dryer vent cleaning cost is one of the lower numbers in this trade: $100 to $200 covers a short, accessible, ground-floor duct in most markets. It rises with the length of the run, the number of bends, and whether the outlet is up on a second storey or at the roof. The thing worth knowing before you book is that cleaning cannot fix a duct that has been crushed flat, come apart inside a wall, or is foil hose rather than rigid metal — those produce the identical symptom and need repair, so paying twice for cleaning is the common mistake here.
Where it shows
Lint on the hood outside
Fluff caught on the flap means the duct is shedding what it can no longer carry. Whatever is outside, there is far more still inside.
On this pagePrice table3 sections+2
Dryer vent cleaning cost by run type
Every figure here is a band, because a single number for work nobody has looked at yet would be a guess dressed up as a quote.
| The job | Typical range | What moves it |
|---|---|---|
| Short accessible ground-floor run | $100–$200 | The baseline job, under an hour |
| Long run, several bends | $180–$300 | Every elbow is where lint packs |
| Second-storey or roof outlet | $200–$350 | Ladder work and roof access |
| Bird nest or blockage removal | +$100–$250 | What is in there and how far along |
| Foil hose replaced with rigid duct | $150–$400 | A repair, not a clean |
| Crushed section replaced | $250–$600 | Whether it is behind a finished surface |
US-wide bands for planning, not a quote. Regional labour rates move all of these, and the only number that means anything is a written estimate for your chimney.
What actually decides the number
How long the run is
Code allows 35 feet of duct and every 90-degree elbow spends five of them. A long run with four turns takes longer to clear and blocks faster afterwards.
Where it terminates
A ground-floor wall hood is straightforward. A second-storey outlet needs ladder work, and a roof termination needs roof access — both are time rather than materials.
Whether it is accessible
A run in an open basement ceiling is easy. One boxed into a finished ceiling means access has to be created and made good, which is a different job.
Whether it is cleaning or repair
Crushed duct, a separated joint or foil hose all cause slow drying, and no brush fixes any of them. If a recent clean made no difference, stop buying cleans.
How long since the last one
A duct cleaned annually takes under an hour. One that has not been touched in a decade can be packed solid at a bend, and that is closer to a blockage removal.
Should be included
- The full run brushed from machine to outside hood, under vacuum
- The outside hood cleared and the flap checked
- The lint trap housing behind the machine
- Airflow checked at the hood before and after
- The machine pulled out and reconnected properly
Priced separately
- Replacing foil hose with rigid duct
- Repairing a crushed or separated section
- A new vent hood, if the flap has seized
- Rerouting a run that is longer than it needs to be
- Any appliance repair — this is the duct, not the dryer
Quotes to walk away from
- A price that only covers the first few feet behind the machine. That moves the blockage rather than removing it.
- No before-and-after airflow check. It is the only proof the visit did anything.
- A quote given per foot before anyone has seen the run.
- A second cleaning recommended when the first one changed nothing — that means it is damaged, not dirty.
- Anyone leaving screws in a dryer duct. Every protruding tip becomes a lint catcher.
The VIO Standard
- A written estimate first
- License and insurance checked
- Nothing starts without your OK
Common questions
How much does dryer vent cleaning cost per year?
Once a year at $100 to $200 is the normal cadence for a typical household, so budget it alongside the chimney sweep. Push to twice a year if you dry several loads most days, if the run is long or turns through several bends, or if you have a lot of bedding and towels going through. A short, straight, lightly used duct can honestly go longer than a year.
Why did my dryer vent cleaning cost more than quoted?
Usually because what was found is a repair rather than a clean. Crushed duct at a joist, a joint that has come apart inside a wall, foil hose that should be rigid metal — none of those are fixable with a brush, and all of them produce exactly the symptom that made you call. A fair company stops, explains and re-quotes rather than proceeding. An unfair one cleans it anyway and takes the money.
Is dryer vent cleaning cost worth it?
It is one of the better-value visits on this site, and the reason is that the payoff is not only safety. A blocked duct makes the dryer run longer and hotter for every load, which costs electricity and shortens the machine's life well before it becomes a fire risk. Clothes drying in one cycle instead of two is a return you notice weekly.
Can I clean my dryer vent myself and save the money?
You can do the useful ends yourself — pull the machine out, clear what you can reach, and clean the outside hood. That helps. What a hardware-store kit will not do is carry a rotating brush through the whole run under vacuum, and the compacted lint usually sits at a bend halfway along where nothing reaches from either end. If clothes still need two cycles after you have done both ends, the blockage is in the middle.
Does dryer vent cleaning cost more for a roof vent?
Yes, typically $200 to $350 rather than the ground-floor band, and it is access rather than the work. A roof termination also needs cleaning more often, because lint has to travel upward against gravity. If a wall outlet is reachable at reasonable cost, rerouting once is cheaper than the difference compounded over twenty years.
These are national ranges, not quotes — how we publish cost ranges.
The services these prices cover
The only number that counts is the one for your chimney.
Ranges are a starting point. A written estimate after someone has looked at it is the real answer, it costs nothing to ask for, and you are not committed to accepting it.
The people behind every visit
Founded by Ryan Carter in 2019. Every page you read here is reviewed by Ethan Miller, our chimney specialist. A written estimate before any work, and the findings in writing whether or not anything needs doing.
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