Starting a duct cleaning business takes roughly $5,000 to $15,000 to begin lean — portable HEPA vacuum, agitation tools, a used van, registration, and insurance — and the work itself is straightforward. The real challenge is not the equipment; it is keeping the calendar full, because demand is search-driven and seasonal. Here is the honest path from zero to booked jobs.
We run our own home-service companies — a cleaning company in Tucson and an HVAC company in Sacramento — so we know this trade from the inside. The owners who win are not the ones with the fanciest truck-mounted rig; they are the ones who show up first in search and answer the phone. We will be straight about where you need us and where you do not.
Register and insure. Form an LLC, get a business license, and carry general liability. Cleaning that touches HVAC can fall under contractor rules in some areas, so check local requirements first.
Buy the right equipment for your stage. Start with a portable HEPA vacuum, brushes, and air whips. Upgrade to truck-mounted only when volume justifies the cost.
Set honest pricing. Most residential jobs run $300 to $700 with add-ons like dryer vents and sanitizing. Price for your time and fuel, not the lowest number in town.
Claim your Google Business Profile. This is free and it is the single biggest step toward getting found for "duct cleaning near me."
Get a site that captures leads and partner with HVAC companies for referrals. That combination fills the calendar.
Portable HEPA vacuum, agitation tools, a used van, registration, insurance, and basic marketing. Enough to take real residential jobs and prove the model before you over-invest.
A truck-mounted system and wrapped vehicle. More power and a more professional look, but only worth it once your job volume keeps it busy. Do not buy this on day one.
The margins are good because your main ongoing costs are time and fuel. That is exactly why the bottleneck is demand, not delivery, and why your marketing matters more than your rig.
Duct cleaning demand is seasonal and search-driven, so the first jobs come from being findable and trusted:
We are not the first thing you should buy. Hold off on hiring help with marketing while:
The moment to bring us in is when you have proven you can do the work, you have reviews, and your phone is not ringing enough — when the lost-job math beats the fee.
Once you are ready to fill the calendar, we handle the part that is hardest to do alone: a site that ranks for duct cleaning searches, captures the lead, and an AI assistant that answers "do you clean dryer vents too?" at night and takes the number.
Our Start Getting Leads plan is $249/month — site, AI lead capture, hosting, and updates, month-to-month, and you own everything. The SEO content engine at $597/month publishes the pages that rank. See cleaning company website design, HVAC website design if you partner with one, or our take on what local SEO costs.
We don't post stock testimonials. On a 15-minute call we screen-share the real dashboards behind our own businesses — live leads, rankings, and the exact page that produced each one. See the proof →
It varies by state and city. You will usually need a business license, and some areas regulate it under HVAC or air-quality rules. NADCA certification is voluntary but builds trust. Check local rules before you advertise.
Residential jobs run about $300 to $700. A solo operator doing two to three a day can earn a solid living once booked, because the main cost is your time and fuel. Keeping the calendar full is the real work.
A Google Business Profile, reviews from early customers, HVAC referral partners, and a site that ranks for "duct cleaning near me" and captures the lead. Being found and answering the phone beats fancy equipment.
Send your company name and city — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working website demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.
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