How Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost in Houston? [2025 Data]

Air duct cleaning costs in Houston average $593, and most residents pay somewhere between $310 and $879. Prices depend mostly on home square footage and the number of vents you need cleaned, and the above-average home size in Houston contributes to higher duct cleaning costs than you’d see in most other cities.

Air Duct Cleaning Cost Factors

Air duct cleaning in Houston, TX, can cost as little as $100 or as much as $1,600. Most of the total goes toward labor, so any factors that make the job take longer, like additional vents, a larger home, or poor accessibility to different parts of your air duct system, will have a significant impact on costs.

Total Square Footage of Vents

The more ductwork you have, the more you'll pay for cleaning. Some local air duct cleaners base their price on the property’s square footage since the larger your home is, the more ductwork you'll have.

The cost of cleaning ductwork is $0.15 to $0.30 per square foot. The average home size in Houston is a little under 2,100 square feet, which puts prices between $315 and $630 based on home size alone. Here’s a breakdown of the average air duct cleaning costs based on the size of your home:

Number of Vents

Some pros base costs on the number of vents they have to clean rather than on square footage. As with ductwork, the more vents you have, the more it’ll cost to clean them. On average, vents cost $35 each to clean, with most homeowners paying between $25 and $50 per vent. To get a ballpark estimate for the cost of vent cleaning, count the vents in your home and multiply that by $35.

Most homes have one supply vent for every 100 to 150 square feet of living space. With the average home size in Houston sitting at 2,100 square feet, most properties will have between 14 and 21 vents. Basing costs on the number of vents will lead to prices averaging between $490 and $735 in Houston.

Here’s how the number of vents affects your air duct cleaning cost:

Type of Ductwork

There are four main types of ducts that are common in residential HVAC systems, and they vary in how challenging and expensive they are to clean. The average home in Houston is just 35 years old and will likely have sheet metal ducts installed. These are among the quickest and most affordable to clean. Fiberglass and fiberboard ducts are just as easy to clean, but they’re more likely to need repairs, so total costs can go up a bit.

Flex ducts are less common in whole-home HVAC systems in Houston, but they’re common for routing ducts through tight spaces, like attics. If you have flex ducts, expect to pay toward the upper end of the range to clean that portion of your system. Unlike metal ducts, flex ducts require special cleaning equipment, so you’ll pay more to clean them.

Labor Cost

Most ductwork pros charge by the hour, with duct cleaning services in Houston priced between $85 and $120 per hour. The cost of living in Houston is 5% below the national average, and since the local cost of living affects labor costs, the per-hour costs for air duct cleaning in Houston will be slightly below the national average.

Depending on the size of your home, the type of ductwork you have, and how accessible the ducts are, most cleaning jobs require three to eight hours of labor.

Accessibility

If you ensure that vents are easy to reach with vacuuming equipment, accessibility shouldn’t be a problem. But some ductwork designs make accessing them difficult, especially if you don’t have floor vents. If air duct technicians have to work harder or take additional steps to reach your vents, it can result in additional labor charges. A simple way to avoid extra labor charges is to make sure your air ducts aren’t blocked before your pro arrives.

Inspections

Some vent problems, like noticeable mold or nests, don’t require an inspection before cleaning. However, if you aren’t sure about the state of your vents, consider arranging a professional inspection. These inspections are often bundled together as part of an HVAC inspection, which costs an average of $300 but can fall under $100 for simple systems.

Level of Cleanliness or Contamination

Duct cleaning is offered as a package with set labor costs, but extremely dirty jobs will cost extra. If the ducts have never been cleaned and need a lot of work to remove dust and buildup, expect additional fees.

In most areas, scheduling air duct cleaning every three to five years is ideal, but in Houston, every two to four years is best. The city has below-average air quality index ratings according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and things like pollution and pollen can contribute to dirt accumulating in your ducts. Being a bit more proactive can let you avoid higher fees, and it can help you identify damages to your air ducts that need repairs to maximize efficiency in Houston’s brutal summers.

Air Duct Cleaning Pro Costs

On average, between 90% and 95% of your total will go toward labor, or between $530 and $560 when you hire an air duct cleaning company in Houston. On a per-hour basis, this is a little below what you’d pay in most other cities, but in total, you’ll pay more due to above-average home sizes and duct complexity.

Sales Tax

When you hire a pro for duct cleaning, you’ll be subject to sales tax and should account for that when budgeting. The sales tax rate in Houston is 8.25%, so expect to pay an average of $48.92 in sales tax.

Does Air Duct Cleaning Increase Home Value?

Routine maintenance items like air duct cleaning won’t increase your home value, especially given the low cost of the service. Some buyers will be more likely to purchase a home that’s maintained well, so there’s a chance duct cleaning will help speed up the sale, but it’s unlikely to lead to a higher sale price.

However, you do get other benefits from the investment, like healthier indoor air and the chance to catch damage to your ductwork that could lead to higher utility bills over time, especially during Houston’s hot summers.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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