Duct cleaning is one of the most heavily scammed home services in Ontario, and downtown Toronto in particular gets bombarded with $99 flyers. What those companies actually deliver is a portable vacuum stuck at the register for two minutes per room. We do this differently, and we're going to be blunt about what real duct cleaning is because the industry has muddied the water.
Proper duct cleaning uses a truck-mounted negative-pressure vacuum connected to the main return, individual supply and return runs air-whipped and brushed, blower compartment and evaporator coil cleaned, and every register removed and washed. It takes three to five hours for an average downtown Toronto row house, not thirty minutes.
It is not a cure-all. Duct cleaning helps if you have visible dust discharge from the registers, you've just finished a renovation, you have a rodent or bird intrusion, or you've never had it done in a decade-plus of ownership. It does not fix airflow problems caused by undersized ductwork, and it does not make an already-clean system 'run more efficiently' in any measurable way.
What's included
10,000+ CFM vacuum hooked to the main trunk. Everything loosened up in the branch runs flows to the truck, not into your house.
All runs air-whipped and brushed individually — not just the ones nearest the main. Register covers pulled and washed.
Furnace blower compartment vacuumed, evaporator coil inspected and cleaned where accessible. This is where 80% of the actual dust lives.
Camera photos into the trunk before and after so you can see the difference — not marketing photos of someone else's ducts.
Our process
- 1In-home walkthrough or count of registers by phone for accurate pricing.
- 2Drop cloths at every entry point.
- 3Full clean — no upsells for 'sanitizer' fog or 'anti-microbial' spray, because independent testing doesn't support them.
- 4Photos and a walk-through before we pack up.
Signs you need this service
- Visible dust puffs out of a register when the blower starts
- You've completed a renovation with drywall or plaster dust in the last year
- A recent pest issue in the attic or crawlspace
- Musty smell from the registers that persists through filter changes
- Never had it done in 10+ years of ownership
Frequently asked
Will duct cleaning fix my allergies?+
Sometimes. It'll reduce settled dust and pet dander in the delivery path, which helps some allergy sufferers noticeably. It won't fix pollen coming in through open windows or particulate the filter is failing to catch — those are filtration upgrades, not duct problems.
How often should I have this done?+
Every 5–7 years for most homes is plenty. More often if you have shedding pets, ongoing renovation, or a smoker in the household.
Do you use 'anti-microbial' fog?+
No. There isn't credible independent evidence that residential duct fogging does what it claims and Health Canada is skeptical of the product category. If someone quotes it as a required add-on, get a second opinion.