Dryer vent cleaning
Whole-home duct cleaning
Camera inspection
Sanitizing & deodorizingWhole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Los Altos
Dryer vent cleaning in Los Altos typically costs $150 – $260 for a single vent run in a standard mid-century rancher, with larger homes on Foothill Expressway corridors often running $220 – $380 when the duct snakes through a crawlspace or attic with multiple elbows. Most jobs take 60 – 90 minutes and are scheduled within a few days, not weeks. If your dryer is taking two cycles to dry a load, the vent isn’t doing its job, and waiting makes the problem worse. Call us at (866) 528-3938 and we’ll diagnose it properly.
We work in Los Altos every week, from the tree-heavy lots off Magdalena Avenue down to the cul-de-sacs near Los Altos Hills. Homes here aren’t new construction with tidy, code-perfect vent runs. They’re 1960s ranchers and custom builds where the dryer vent was an afterthought, buried in a crawlspace, run through an uninsulated attic, or routed around beams nobody thought about until the first wash cycle. That’s the work we’re built for. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team knows what a Los Altos vent actually looks like when we open it.
Why Duct Cleaning Mountain View Is Los Altos’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
We’re a duct specialist, not a general HVAC company that tacks vent cleaning onto a furnace tune-up as a line item. That distinction matters in Los Altos, where the dryer vent is part of a larger duct ecosystem that’s often 50 or 60 years old. Our equipment reflects that focus: professional-grade Rotobrush and Nikro systems, not a shop vac with an extension hose. When we clean a dryer vent, we’re running agitation tools paired with negative pressure, the same approach we use on full air duct systems.
Los Altos homeowners call us because word gets around about what we actually document. Every job includes before-and-after camera images of the vent interior. You see the lint we removed and the clear run we left behind. No other contractor in this market shows proof that consistently.
We also understand the specific risks in Los Altos: roof-rat runs through attic flex, oak pollen caking onto lint, and vents that were never properly sized in the first place. Dave Hanson built this company around the idea that ducts and vents deserve the same diagnostic attention as any other mechanical system in your home. That’s the standard we bring to every Los Altos call.
Styles & brands we work with
- Whole-home duct cleaning
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Camera inspection
- Sanitizing & deodorizing
Dryer Vent Installation in Los Altos
Dryer Vent Installation in Los Altos usually means replacing a run that was never right to begin with. We see it constantly: a 1972 rancher with a dryer vent that runs 22 feet through a cold attic with four elbows, when code says it should have been 14 feet with two. The old galvanized pipe has separated at the seams, lint is blowing into the attic insulation, and the dryer is pushing against resistance it was never designed for. A new run, properly sized and routed with rigid metal duct, costs $280 – $520 depending on access and length.
Full-Run Replacement
We remove the old duct entirely and install rigid metal or UL-listed flex where code allows. The work includes proper support hangers, sealed seams, and a new wall or roof termination with a backdraft damper. In Los Altos, where rats and squirrels constantly test roof penetrations, we recommend a guillotine-style damper with a rodent guard.
Rerouting Around Problem Framing
Older Los Altos homes often have vent paths that were installed around original framing before additions and remodels. If a beam or shear wall is in the way, we reroute the vent rather than kinking flex around it. That keeps airflow moving and gives you a vent that doesn’t collect lint at every bend. Expect $320 – $560 for a reroute with new termination.
Dryer Vent Repair in Los Altos
Dryer Vent Repair in Los Altos is often the cheaper fix that solves the same symptom as a full replacement: a run that’s partially disconnected, a crushed section in the crawlspace, or a failing termination cap. On a job off Foothill Expressway, our tech found a 1970s ranch with a dryer vent run that had been clogged for years by lint and roof-rat nesting material, causing the dryer to overheat. We used a camera inspection to locate the blockages, then performed source removal with agitation tools and negative pressure, restoring proper airflow and documenting the before-and-after for the homeowner. That’s the kind of repair Los Altos homes frequently need, and it typically runs $120 – $240 depending on how much of the run must be replaced versus reattached.
Reconnecting Separated Duct
Flex duct from the 1970s and 1980s often pulls apart at the joints as the dryer vibrates cycle after cycle. We reattach the sections with mechanical fasteners and seal them properly, which is not the same as throwing on duct tape. A disconnected vent dumps moisture and lint into your crawlspace or attic. Reconnection usually runs $100 – $180 when the duct itself is still sound.
Termination Cap Replacement
Caps fail for two reasons in Los Altos: either the flapper seizes, or a squirrel chews through the louver. A new wall cap or roof jack with a proper damper costs $90 – $160 installed. We stock common cap sizes on the truck, so we can usually finish the repair the same day without a second trip.
Trusted Brands We Service in Los Altos
Our trucks carry Rotobrush and Nikro cleaning systems as standard equipment on every Los Altos job. Nikro’s negative-air machines do the heavy lifting on multi-story runs where a consumer-level tool would stall halfway through. Rotobrush agitation heads are what actually break loose the compacted lint and rodent debris. We pair those with Abatement Technologies HEPA filtration so what we dislodge from a vent doesn’t wind up in your laundry room air. If your vent needs Guardsman protective finishing after the work, we apply that too. We don’t improvise with generic equipment.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Los Altos Homes
- Long, convoluted vent runs through cold attics. Los Altos ranchers often have the laundry room on an interior wall, which means the vent has to travel 15 to 25 feet up and over. Every foot of run in an uninsulated attic is a place where moisture condenses and lint sticks.
- Roof-rat and squirrel damage in attic flex. The mature oaks and redwoods that shade Los Altos neighborhoods also give rats direct rooftop access. Once inside, they tear open flex duct to nest. A cleaning that should take 45 minutes turns into a camera inspection and often a repair estimate.
- Original 1950s – 1970s galvanized pipe with sagging seams. These runs were installed when dryers moved less air and clothes took longer to dry by design. Modern dryers push more cubic feet per minute, and old pipe can’t handle it. Lint builds at every sag and seam.
- Dry oak pollen mixing with lint to form a dense, fibrous plug. Los Altos summers coat everything in a fine yellow dust. When that pollen gets sucked into a vent loaded with fabric lint, it binds the lint together into a mat that’s far harder to remove than lint alone.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos, CA
A single-vent cleaning in a standard Los Altos rancher runs $150 – $220. Homes with longer runs, multiple elbows, or access through a crawlspace run $220 – $320. Properties with two or three dryers, or a vent that hasn’t been cleaned in over five years, run $300 – $380. Every quote is a flat price per system, agreed before we start. We don’t charge per vent section, and we don’t upsell mid-job. What affects your number: run length, number of elbows, roof versus wall termination, and how compacted the lint has become. Call (866) 528-3938 for a free estimate, and we’ll give you a number before we book the appointment.
We Also Serve Cities Near Los Altos
Our team covers the full mid-Peninsula, including Los Altos and the surrounding communities. We work regularly in Mountain View, Cupertino, Palo Alto, and Saratoga. If you’re in a neighboring city with the same issues we see in Los Altos, we’ll bring the same equipment and the same documented proof of work.
Serving Los Altos, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage – if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos
Because your vent is partially blocked, plain and simple. In Los Altos, the block is usually a combination of lint, dry oak pollen, and sometimes rodent nesting material inside the duct. The dryer’s moisture-sensor keeps shutting the cycle off early because humid air can’t escape. A camera inspection will show you exactly where the blockage is, and a proper cleaning removes it. Call (866) 528-3938 and we’ll diagnose it.
Every 12 to 18 months. Homes under heavy oak or redwood canopy should be cleaned annually, because the pollen load is higher and roof rats are more active. A vent that ran 15 years without cleaning in a newer tract home is a risk; in Los Altos, where the vent may be 50 years old and surrounded by trees, a two-year-old clog can be a fire hazard. Our team can set you up on an annual reminder so it doesn’t lapse.
Yes, and they do it more often in Los Altos than in most Bay Area cities. Rats enter through roof penetrations or gaps at the eaves and chew through flex duct to create nesting space. We’ve found entire vent runs in Los Altos attics that were more rat nest than duct. If you hear scratching in the attic or see droppings near the roof line, have the vent inspected with a camera before you use the dryer heavily.
You should receive before-and-after photos of the interior of your vent, a written summary of what was found, and the final airflow reading. We provide all three on every Los Altos job. The photos prove the lint and debris actually came out. The summary notes any damage we saw, like separated seams or rodent damage, so you have a record if a repair is needed later. Call (866) 528-3938 and ask us what the documentation includes before you book.
Because many Los Altos homes have more than one dryer, and each vent is a separate system. A house with a laundry room dryer, a guest-house dryer, and a second unit above the garage has three vent runs. Per-system pricing means you pay for what we actually clean, not a flattened average that hides the true cost. We quote one flat price per vent, agree on it before we start, and don’t change it at the door.
Get Your Los Altos Dryer Vent Inspected Before It Becomes a Fire Risk
We’re the team Los Altos calls when a vent has been ignored for a decade. We’ll camera it, clean it properly, document everything, and leave you with a vent that actually moves air. If we find damage, we’ll show you the photo and quote a repair in the same visit. Call (866) 528-3938 for a free estimate, or to schedule a dryer vent cleaning in Los Altos. Dave Hanson and the crew will take it from there.
Written by Dave Hanson, Owner at Duct Cleaning Mountain View, serving Los Altos and the mid-Peninsula.