Air Duct System Cleaning by Breathable

Professional, capable, reputable and reliable.

 

Our air duct & vent cleaning process: After prepping your home, we'll remove all vent covers and begin cleaning your HVAC system. Over the years, we have refined our cleaning technique to keep our clients' ducts safe and damage-free while ensuring thorough cleaning. It sounds simple, but it's far from it. For example, we like to have one technician dedicated to cleaning the ducts while the other team members focus on everything else, such as removing and cleaning the blower motor, and cleaning the furnace/AC indoor fan and registers.

Some Bay Area duct cleaners may claim that a single technician is enough to get the job done (it reduces operating costs), but we believe that sending a larger team allows the duct cleaning equipment operator to work patiently and gently on the ducts. Most duct systems take 2-3 hours to clean, but larger homes can take anywhere from 4 to 8 hours.

Our air duct cleaning technique: For most duct systems, we’ll insert a rotary soft-brush along with a high-velocity vacuum attachment into each accessible duct, which will suck up the debris released by the brush. This is known as “contact cleaning” or “source cleaning.” A brush is far more effective in the vast majority of duct systems compared to the "low-contact" negative-pressure-only technique. A good analogy would be brushing teeth using a toothbrush (contact cleaning), versus mouthwash-only (low-contact cleaning).

Depending on the level of cleaning our clients choose, we'll also clean the furnace/AC indoor fan, heat exchanger, and deeper parts of their air duct system.

Service area: We currently offer our air duct cleaning services in Contra Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Marin counties.

From the owner: I started Breathable about 15 years ago and have either worked on or overseen 15,000 projects. I'm personally involved in all of our projects in one form or another and know most of our clients by name.

Some think that, since we're called Breathable, we must be a large chain or franchise, but that's not the case. We're a small (and proud) Bay Area business with 8 employees. I chose Breathable because it reflects our focus and our promise to our clients. Don't hesitate to research us online (Yelp, Google My Business, Nextdoor, etc.). Customer service is a major commitment for us as a team and for myself as a business owner.

FAQ

  • Breathable has been in business since 2010.

  • Breathable provides services in most cities in Marin, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.

  • Breathable also offers duct system repairs and adjustments, replacement of ducts, design and installation of air duct systems, whole-house air purification integration, and heat pump installations.

  • Breathable is fully licensed, bonded, and insured. Our employees are insured (workers' compensation), and our CSLB number is 979977.

  • Anywhere from 2 hours to an entire day, depending on the service type, house size, number of vents, etc. The typical 1,000-1,500 square foot home can take 2-4 hours, while a 5,000-7,000 square foot home may take a day.

  • Our comprehensive process involves a larger team (typically three technicians) and additional equipment to prevent contamination in our clients' homes and achieve superior cleaning results. For instance, a typical 1,200 sq ft project would require 2-4 hours with our team of three, whereas most companies would finish within an hour using a single technician. This approach allows us to provide a more thorough cleaning.

  • Breathable is a locally owned small business in the Bay Area. We have no plans to franchise at the moment.

  • Both dryer vent cleaning and bathroom fan and vent cleaning are available as add-on services on the same day.

Our Cleaning Process

 
 

We'll remove all of your vent covers, AKA diffusers.

We'll deep-clean each duct with mechanical brushes, air compression, and high-velocity HEPA vacuums.

We'll clean and sanitize your air handling unit.

We'll test your system before leaving to make sure everything is working properly.

Fully specialized.


 
 

Cleaning air ducts safely and thoroughly requires specialized equipment and a coordinated, experienced, and dedicated team.

 

Thorough.


 
 

Air duct cleaning isn’t a one-person, one-hour job. What takes another vendor an hour to complete with a single technician, takes us several hours to complete, with a larger team, and more specialized air duct cleaning equipment. We're not slow – just thorough. Our goal is to maximize cleanliness, at minimal particle release, while keeping the integrity of your heating and air conditioning equipment.

 

We can clean sheet metal, aluminum, and plastic ducts.


 
 

Unlike most air duct cleaning vendors, Breathable can clean sheet metal, aluminum, and plastic (aka Wireflex) ducts due to our more specialized techniques and cleaning tools.

Our Other Services

  • Air Duct System Inspection

    Inspect your air ducts for issues affecting energy efficiency, comfort, and air quality.

  • Heat Pump Installation

    Switch to a greener indoor comfort system with central air purification capabilities.

  • Whole House Air Purification

    Protect your home against wildfire smoke particles and other common indoor air pollutants.

  • Air Duct System Replacement & Redesign

    Breathable's low friction air duct systems are designed with comfort, air quality, and energy efficiency in mind.