Professional Air Duct Cleaning in Rochester, MN
Your HVAC system circulates air through your home 5 to 7 times a day. If your ducts are full of dust, allergens, and years of buildup, so is the air your family breathes. We clean it all out — register by register, room by room — using professional-grade Rotobrush equipment with HEPA filtration.
Not sure if your ducts need cleaning? We will bring our camera equipment and show you exactly what is inside your ductwork. The inspection is free, and there is no obligation.
Why Your Ducts Need Cleaning
Every home in Rochester has ductwork running behind its walls and under its floors, quietly circulating air through every room. Over the years, those ducts collect more than you would expect. Household dust, pet dander, pollen, and skin cells settle inside the system and accumulate layer by layer. For homes in Southeast Minnesota, where we keep windows closed for months during winter and rely heavily on our furnaces and air conditioners, the buildup adds up faster than most people realize.
Beyond the everyday dust, your ducts can harbor things that are harder to see. Mold spores thrive in the dark, temperature-shifting environment inside ductwork, especially during Minnesota's humid summers. Construction debris from past renovations — drywall dust, sawdust, insulation fibers — often ends up inside the system and stays there for years. In older homes, it is not uncommon to find rodent droppings, insect remains, or traces of past pest activity inside the duct runs.
The problem is not just that this material is sitting inside your walls. Your HVAC system actively pushes air through those ducts and into your living spaces every time it cycles. That means whatever has accumulated in the ductwork gets redistributed throughout your home, over and over again. You may notice it as a thin layer of dust that reappears shortly after cleaning, a stale or musty smell when the furnace kicks on, or a general stuffiness that never quite goes away.
None of this means your home is dirty or that you have done anything wrong. Every home accumulates this buildup over time. It is simply a part of how forced-air systems work. The question is not whether your ducts have buildup — it is how much, and how long it has been there.
Want to see what's in your ducts?
Schedule a free camera inspection — no obligation.
How Dirty Ducts Affect Your Health and Your Energy Bills
Your Family's Health
The EPA estimates that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. That is a striking number when you consider that the average American spends roughly 90 percent of their time indoors. Your heating and cooling system is the single largest factor in what you and your family are breathing at home.
For households with allergy or asthma sufferers, the connection is even more direct. Dust mites, pet dander, pollen, and mold spores are among the most common indoor allergens, and all of them accumulate in ductwork over time. When your system cycles on, it disperses those allergens into every room. Family members who deal with seasonal allergies, persistent congestion, or respiratory irritation often find that their symptoms improve noticeably after a professional duct cleaning.
Your Energy Bills
Dirty ductwork does not just affect what you breathe — it affects what you pay. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 to 40 percent of energy used for heating and cooling is wasted due to contaminant buildup in HVAC systems. When dust and debris line the interior of your ducts, your system has to work harder to push air through. That means longer run times, higher utility bills, and more wear on your furnace and air conditioner.
Over time, that extra strain shortens the lifespan of your HVAC equipment. A system that should last 15 to 20 years may need replacement several years earlier if it has been working against restricted airflow. For Rochester homeowners who depend on their furnace through subzero winters and their AC through July and August, keeping your ductwork clean is one of the most practical things you can do to protect a major investment.
Our Air Duct Cleaning Process
We follow a thorough, four-step process on every job. No shortcuts, no skipped steps.
Camera Inspection & Assessment
Before we touch a single register, we start by looking. We insert a small camera into your ductwork so both of us can see the actual condition inside your system. This is not a sales tactic — it is how we determine what your ducts need and give you an honest recommendation. Some homes need a full cleaning. Others might not need much at all. Either way, you will see the footage yourself. This inspection is always free.
Register-by-Register Rotobrush Cleaning
We work through your home one vent at a time. At each supply register, we insert the Rotobrush — a professional system that combines a high-speed rotating brush with a powerful HEPA-filtered vacuum. The brush physically scrubs the interior walls of the ductwork, breaking loose years of caked-on dust, allergens, and debris. The vacuum captures everything simultaneously, so nothing gets pushed further into the system or released into your air. The HEPA filter traps particles down to 0.3 microns.
Return Ducts & Main Trunk Lines
After every supply register is done, we turn our attention to the return ducts and main trunk lines. These are the larger pathways that carry air back to your furnace or air handler, and they tend to accumulate the heaviest buildup because all the air in your home passes through them. We clean these with the same Rotobrush process, making sure the entire system is addressed — not just the easy-to-reach registers.
Final Inspection & Verification
When we finish, we run the camera through your ductwork again so you can see the results for yourself. We want you to see the difference, not just take our word for it. We also make sure every register cover is replaced, every vent is properly secured, and your home is left exactly the way we found it. No mess, no leftover debris, no follow-up required.
What Is Included
- Thorough cleaning of all supply registers and ductwork throughout the home
- Cleaning of all return air ducts
- Main trunk line cleaning
- Camera inspection before cleaning to assess duct condition
- Camera inspection after cleaning to verify results
- Rotobrush system with HEPA filtration on every register
- All register covers removed, cleaned, and replaced
- Complete cleanup of work areas -- we leave no mess behind
- Written summary of work performed and duct condition
- Honest recommendations for future maintenance timing
- Free follow-up questions -- call us anytime if you have concerns after service
Honest Quotes, No Surprises
Every home is different, and we think your quote should reflect your home — not some generic price pulled from a list. The cost of air duct cleaning depends on several factors that vary from house to house: the number of supply registers and return vents, the number of floors, the overall square footage, the age of the home, and the current condition of the ductwork. A 1,200-square-foot rambler with 8 registers is a very different job from a 3,000-square-foot two-story with 20 registers, and the pricing should reflect that.
That is why we provide custom quotes for every job rather than advertising a one-size-fits-all price. When you call or request a quote, we will ask a few questions about your home so we can give you an accurate estimate upfront. No hidden fees, no surprise charges when we arrive, and no upselling once we are in the door.
We also stand behind our price match promise on all residential duct cleaning. If you receive a lower written quote from another local company for comparable service, let us know and we will match it. We believe in earning your business on the quality of our work, not by being the cheapest bid in town — but we never want price to be the reason you do not get your ducts cleaned.
See the Difference
The results speak for themselves. Here is what the inside of a typical duct looks like before and after our Rotobrush cleaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about air duct cleaning in Rochester, MN.
Most homes should have their air ducts cleaned every 3 to 5 years. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends this general schedule for typical households. Homes with pets, smokers, family members with allergies or asthma, or homes that have gone through recent renovations may need cleaning every 2 to 3 years. If you have just moved into a home and are not sure when the ducts were last cleaned, a free camera inspection is the easiest way to find out.
Most residential duct cleaning jobs take between 2 and 4 hours, depending on the size of your home and the number of vents. A typical Rochester home with 10 to 15 registers usually takes about 3 hours from start to finish. Larger homes, homes with multiple floors, or systems that have never been cleaned may take a bit longer. We work register by register to make sure every section of ductwork is thoroughly cleaned.
The cost varies based on the size and layout of your home. Factors include the number of supply registers and return vents, the number of floors, total square footage, and the current condition of the ductwork. We provide custom quotes for every job so the price reflects your actual home. We also offer a price match promise -- if you have a lower written quote from another local company for comparable service, we will match it.
Yes. Professional duct cleaning removes the accumulated dust, allergens, pet dander, mold spores, and other contaminants that your HVAC system circulates through your home every day. The EPA notes that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, and your ductwork is a primary contributor. Many Rochester customers report reduced allergy symptoms, less dust on surfaces, and a fresher-smelling home after cleaning. It will not cure allergies on its own, but removing a major source of airborne irritants makes a real difference.
Rotobrush is a professional duct cleaning system that uses a high-speed rotating brush combined with a powerful HEPA-filtered vacuum. The brush physically scrubs the interior walls of your ductwork while the vacuum simultaneously captures everything it loosens. This contact cleaning approach is more effective than basic vacuum-and-blow methods, which can push contaminants further into the system. The HEPA filtration captures particles as small as 0.3 microns, including mold spores and fine allergens.
No. You are welcome to stay home the entire time. Our Rotobrush system is thorough but not disruptive. There is no strong odor, no excessive noise beyond the equipment running, and no reason you cannot go about your normal routine in other parts of the house. We work room by room and register by register, so we are typically only in one area of your home at a time.
Pets can stay in the home during cleaning. We recommend keeping them in a separate room or area away from where we are actively working, mainly for their comfort and safety. If your pet tends to be anxious around strangers or loud equipment, a quiet room with their bed and water is usually all that is needed. We are pet owners ourselves and are comfortable working in homes with animals. Pet dander is one of the top reasons Rochester homeowners call us for duct cleaning.
There is no wrong time to clean your ducts, but spring and fall tend to be the most popular seasons for Rochester homeowners. Scheduling before you switch from heating to cooling in spring, or from cooling to heating in fall, means you start each season with a clean system. That said, if you are noticing issues right now, there is no reason to wait. We also recommend cleaning after major renovations, before moving into a new home, or after any event that introduced extra dust or debris into the system.
Other Services
Find Out What Is in Your Ducts -- For Free
Schedule a free camera inspection and we will show you exactly what is inside your ductwork. No pressure, no obligation. We match any competitor's price on residential service.