Doctor Vent has cleaned HVAC systems in multifamily buildings since 2011 — 3,200+ properties, 20,000+ residential units, 1,100+ commercial buildings. Supply ducts, return ducts, return plenums, registers, coils and air handlers, cleaned to the NADCA ACR standard and documented per unit.
This Is Not Dryer Vent Cleaning
Property managers often bundle the two, and they are genuinely different work. A dryer vent is one duct carrying lint to the outside, and NFPA 211 requires it inspected annually because lint burns. An HVAC system is a closed loop that moves the air residents breathe, through supply trunks, branch runs, registers, a return plenum and a coil. Nothing in it is required to be cleaned annually. What it needs is assessment — and cleaning when the assessment finds something.
When Duct Cleaning Is Actually Warranted
We will tell you when it is not. The EPA has been clear that routine duct cleaning in a clean system has not been shown to prevent health problems, and a vendor who quotes a duct clean without inspecting first is selling you something you may not need.
Cleaning is warranted when there is:
- Visible mould growth inside hard-surface ductwork or on other HVAC components. Not a musty smell — visible growth, confirmed. Return plenums are where we find it, because they run cold and collect condensate.
- Vermin infestation — rodents or insects in the ductwork.
- Substantial deposits of dust and debris, or particles actually discharging from registers into living space.
- Post-construction or post-renovation debris. This is the single most common legitimate trigger in multifamily. Drywall dust, insulation fibres and sawdust sit in supply trunks after a renovation and blow into units for years.
- Post-fire or post-flood contamination.
What We Clean
- Supply ducts — trunks and branch runs, brushed and vacuumed under negative pressure
- Return ducts and return plenums — where mould growth and dust accumulation concentrate
- Registers, grilles and diffusers — removed, cleaned, refitted
- Evaporator and condenser coils — fouling here costs more in energy than the whole clean costs
- Blower assemblies and drain pans
- Air handler cabinets — access panels inspected and properly resecured
- Bathroom and kitchen exhaust — frequently blocked, rarely inspected
How We Work
Negative-air machines under HEPA filtration hold the system under negative pressure throughout, so dislodged debris is captured rather than blown into the unit. Contact cleaning tools — rotary brushes and compressed-air whips, chosen to suit duct material — agitate the surfaces. Flex duct and duct board are treated differently from sheet metal; a vendor using the same tooling on all three is damaging your ductwork.
Access is cut where required and closed with rigid, sealed panels to ACR requirements. Every unit is photographed before and after.
The Coil Is Where the Money Is
A fouled evaporator coil is a restriction. The blower works harder, run times extend, the compressor cycles longer, and the energy bill absorbs the difference quietly for years. Cleaning ductwork while leaving a fouled coil is fixing the half you can see.
We inspect coils on every project and report their condition whether or not coil cleaning is in scope.
Documentation
Before and after photographs of every unit and every system component. Coil condition report. Deficiency log — disconnected flex, crushed runs, loose access panels, failed drain pans, visible microbial growth with location. A completion report referencing NADCA ACR.
Vendor Credentialed
Approved vendor in NetVendor, RealPage and VendorCafe. NADCA member, ASCS certified, OSHA 30 supervisors. $2M general liability, $5M umbrella.
Apartment programmes | HOA programmes | Coil cleaning | Post-renovation
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does commercial air duct cleaning cost per unit?
Typically $95–225 per unit for a full supply and return clean, depending on system type, register count and whether coils are included. A 240-unit community budgets roughly $23,000–54,000. That is a different order of cost from dryer vent cleaning, because it is a different scope: every supply run, every return, every register, and the air handler itself.
How often should apartment air ducts be cleaned?
There is no annual mandate equivalent to NFPA 211 for dryer exhaust. NADCA recommends inspection every two years and cleaning when the inspection shows contamination, visible mould growth, vermin infestation, or substantial deposition. In practice most multifamily properties clean on a 3–5 year cycle, with post-renovation cleaning triggered separately.
Does duct cleaning actually improve air quality?
It depends entirely on what is in the duct. The EPA’s position is that duct cleaning has not been shown to prevent health problems in ordinary circumstances, and we agree — cleaning a clean duct achieves nothing. But where there is visible mould growth inside the ductwork or on other HVAC components, vermin infestation, or ducts clogged with substantial deposits of dust and debris, cleaning is warranted and the difference is measurable. That is why we inspect before we quote.
What is the NADCA ACR standard?
ACR is NADCA’s Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration of HVAC Systems standard. It defines what a clean system is, how to verify it, and what documentation proves it. We are a NADCA member and our supervisors hold ASCS certification. Vendors who do not work to ACR are, in practice, blowing dust around.
Do you clean coils and air handlers?
Yes, and it is where the energy savings live. A fouled evaporator coil restricts airflow and forces longer run times. Cleaning the ductwork while leaving the coil fouled fixes the visible half of the problem and leaves the expensive half in place.