Frequently Asked Questions

We connect a high-powered negative-air machine to your main trunk line, seal all registers, and use compressed-air whips and rotary brushes to dislodge debris from every run. The debris is drawn out through the vacuum hose, not pushed back into your home. In Rockville, we regularly find construction debris in newer homes near King Farm, and significant dust accumulation in older systems north of the train station. Every run is photographed before and after. You receive the images and a written summary of what we found.

Most residential jobs in Rockville take 3 to 5 hours from arrival to final walkthrough. A compact home with accessible basement ductwork might run shorter; a larger home with attic runs, multiple zones, or hard-to-access plenums takes longer. We don't schedule multiple jobs back-to-back with unrealistic windows. Your appointment includes a named technician and a text when they're en route, per Clause 2 of The Haven Standard.

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends every 3 to 5 years for most homes. In Rockville specifically, we suggest closer to 3 years if you have pets, allergy-sensitive family members, or live near construction zones like the ongoing development along Rockville Pike. Homes with recent renovations should be cleaned once the dust has settled, as construction particulate is particularly abrasive to blower motors and coils. After your first cleaning with us, we'll note your system condition and recommend a realistic interval based on what we actually found.

It reduces the reservoir of dust circulating through your system, which typically means less frequent dusting for 6 to 18 months afterward. It won't eliminate dust entirely, as skin cells, textile fibers, and outdoor particulate enter your home continuously. What it does address is the years of accumulated debris in your ductwork that re-circulates every time the blower engages. Homeowners in Rockville's older neighborhoods like New Mark Commons often notice the most dramatic difference, as those systems may have gone 15-20 years without proper cleaning.

No. The negative-air machine runs continuously, so any airborne debris is captured at the source. You may hear compressed air and mechanical brushing, comparable to a vacuum cleaner running in the basement. Some customers prefer to run errands during the service, but there's no safety requirement to leave. We do ask that pets be secured away from work areas, as the equipment noise can stress them and we occasionally need to open access panels in multiple rooms.

We run Nikro negative-air machines and rotary brush systems, paired with compressed-air tools that agitate debris without damaging flex duct or fiberglass board. For homes with Aprilaire or Honeywell whole-house air cleaners integrated into the return plenum, we clean or replace those media filters as part of the service scope, with your approval. Our equipment is sized for residential ductwork, not adapted from commercial jobs, which matters in Rockville's mix of older ranch homes with 6-inch round duct and newer construction with insulated flex runs.

Yes. Many Rockville homes built since 2010 have Aprilaire Model 2410 or Honeywell F100 media air cleaners mounted on the return plenum. We inspect, clean, and replace those filters during our duct cleaning service if requested. These systems work best when the ductwork behind them is also clean, otherwise you're filtering air that's passing through dirty return runs. We note the condition of your filtration hardware in our written summary and can source replacement media if yours is due.

A run is a single duct line from the main trunk to one register, or from one return grille back to the air handler. Your home likely has 10 to 20 supply runs and 3 to 5 return runs. The brand name CleanRun refers to our standard: every run cleaned, every run photographed, every run left in documented condition. In Rockville split-levels, we often find short runs to upper-floor bedrooms and longer runs to basement spaces, each requiring different brush sizes and agitation techniques.

We deploy HEPA-filtered containment on jobs where the customer has severe allergies, immune sensitivity, or where we've identified significant mold or rodent debris. Abatement Technologies manufactures the portable HEPA units we use for these cases. Standard negative-air machines already exhaust filtered air, but the added HEPA stage provides the extra capture efficiency some Rockville customers need, particularly in homes near the pollen-heavy corridors along I-270 or Veirs Mill Road.

Every professional working under our name is required to hold the license and insurance Maryland requires for HVAC and indoor air quality work. We carry general liability and workers' compensation coverage, and our license numbers are provided on your written estimate before work begins, per Clause 3 of The Haven Standard. Montgomery County has specific mechanical code requirements for duct access panel installation and fire damper handling, and our crews are trained to those standards.

Standard residential duct cleaning does not require a permit in Montgomery County. If our inspection reveals that access panels need to be cut into ductwork, or if we're installing new access doors to reach previously inaccessible runs, we handle any required permitting. We disclose this during the estimate phase if it applies to your home. Most Rockville jobs proceed without permit involvement, but we don't bypass code requirements when they do apply.

The Haven Standard is the five-clause operating framework every CleanRun branch works to: Clause 1, flat price in writing before work starts; Clause 2, arrive on schedule with a named tech and en-route text; Clause 3, verified crews with required licenses and insurance; Clause 4, evidence on every job through photos and readings; Clause 5, no surprises, no door upsells, no scope creep. It was developed in 2013 because the duct cleaning industry had no consistent consumer protection, and it governs how we operate in Rockville today.

We can clean and treat ductwork where mold growth is suspected, but we don't guess at species or severity. If we see visible mold during our pre-cleaning inspection, we document it photographically and discuss options: cleaning with antimicrobial treatment for minor surface growth, or referring to a certified mold assessor for extensive colonization before we proceed. Montgomery County's humid summers and variable winter heating can create condensation conditions in attic ducts, particularly in Rockville homes with insufficient insulation. We address the cause, not just the symptom.

We're open Monday through Sunday, 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM. We schedule appointments within those hours, with arrival windows that respect your time. Duct cleaning is a planned maintenance service, not an emergency dispatch, so we don't promise same-day turnaround. Most Rockville customers book 3 to 7 days out, though we sometimes have earlier openings. When you call (240) 255-4519, our live coordinator will find the next available slot that works for your schedule.

Call or text us at (240) 255-4519 with 24 hours' notice and we'll move you to the next available slot with no penalty. We understand that Rockville families juggle school schedules, Metro commutes, and the general chaos of Montgomery County traffic. Last-minute changes happen, but we do charge a modest fee for same-day cancellations because that slot could have gone to another homeowner waiting for service.

Every job is covered by our documented satisfaction commitment: if the before-and-after photos don't show clear improvement in every run we accessed, we re-clean at no charge or refund the service fee. This is backed by the parent brand's record, 52,000+ homes since 2013, every one with a written price before starting and a documented record when finished. Your photos and written summary are your proof of work performed, stored for reference if questions arise later.

We guarantee the quality of our work for 90 days. If you experience a recurrence of the specific issue we addressed, such as blocked airflow in a run we cleaned, we'll return to inspect at no charge. This doesn't cover new debris entering your system from construction, pest intrusion, or filter neglect, but it does cover our workmanship and the thoroughness of our cleaning. The warranty terms are included in your written estimate, per Clause 1.

You receive timestamped before-and-after photographs of every run we accessed, showing the interior duct surface condition. We also provide a written summary noting any damage, unusual debris types, or recommendations for future maintenance. In Rockville's competitive market, this documentation distinguishes actual work from a vacuum noise. If a company won't show you photos of your own ducts, they likely don't have them. Our evidence requirement, Clause 4, exists precisely because this industry has a documentation problem.

Contact us within 30 days at (240) 255-4519. Tomas Reyes reviews every satisfaction concern personally. If our photos and documentation don't support the thoroughness we promised, we'll make it right through re-cleaning or refund. In 13 years of operation, the brand's resolution rate for documented complaints is strong because the evidence system works both ways: it keeps us accountable and protects customers from disputes over what was or wasn't done.

Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Rockville, serving Rockville, Gaithersburg, Bethesda, Silver Spring, and surrounding Montgomery County communities since 2013.