Most Ontario homeowners pay between $300 and $600 for a standard residential duct cleaning in 2026. A typical single-family home with 10 to 15 vents lands around $350 to $500. Condos and townhomes cost less; large or heavily contaminated homes cost more.
That’s the honest answer. The complicated part is that duct cleaning is one of the easiest home services to get overcharged on — mostly because of “$99 whole-home” ads that were never $99. Below is what the work actually costs in Ontario this year, how reputable companies price it, and how to tell a fair quote from a setup.
What you’ll actually pay in 2026
| Home type | Typical 2026 price |
|---|---|
| Condo or apartment unit | $250 – $400 |
| Townhome or small home (up to ~10 vents) | $300 – $450 |
| Average detached home (10–15 vents) | $350 – $500 |
| Large detached (20+ vents, multiple furnaces, long runs) | $500 – $800+ |
These are province-wide ranges. Pricing in Orillia and the wider Simcoe County area generally sits in the lower-to-middle part of these bands — you’re not paying downtown-Toronto overhead — but the number that matters is the one for your home, based on its size, vent count, and condition. If you want a straight figure for your place, you can request a quote for your Orillia home and get an all-in price before anyone shows up.
How duct cleaning is actually priced
Two things drive nearly every quote: how many vents you have, and how easy they are to reach.
Most reputable Ontario companies price per vent. A base package usually covers the first 10 vents or so — counting both the supply registers (the ones air blows out of) and the return grilles (the larger ones that pull air back in). Beyond that base, additional vents are typically billed at roughly $10 to $13 each.
So a 2,500-square-foot home with 22 vents genuinely costs more than an 1,800-square-foot home with 12 vents, even if they look similar from the street. That’s not a company being greedy — it’s more ductwork to physically clean. The key is that a good company counts your vents and tells you the number before the work starts, not after.
What drives the cost up or down
Home size and vent count. The single biggest factor. More square footage means longer duct runs and more registers to service.
Accessibility. Ductwork buried in a finished ceiling, a tight crawlspace, or a third-floor attic takes more time and equipment than an open basement system. Expect a higher quote when access is difficult.
How dirty the system actually is. Standard household dust cleans at the standard rate. Drywall dust from a recent renovation, years of pet hair, or a system that’s never been touched takes longer.
Add-on services. This is where a $400 job becomes an $800 one — sometimes for good reason, sometimes not. See the next section.
Add-on services and what they cost
Not everything gets bundled into the base price. The common extras in Ontario:
- Furnace and blower cleaning — often bundled with a duct cleaning for a combined $350 to $600, which is usually cheaper than booking the two separately. Worth doing at the same visit.
- Dryer vent cleaning — a smaller add-on, and a genuinely worthwhile one for fire safety, especially in multi-level homes with long vent runs.
- AC coil cleaning — priced separately depending on access.
- Mould remediation — typically adds $100 to $300 or more, depending on how much there is.
- Rodent or pest issues — usually needs a separate specialist, not your duct cleaner.
A reputable technician will point these out, explain why, and let you decide. A dishonest one will “discover” them mid-job as leverage. Which brings us to the part nobody else wants to talk about.
The $99 duct cleaning trap
If you’ve seen ads for whole-home duct cleaning at $79, $99, or “3 rooms for $59,” treat them as bait. That price is designed to get a technician in your door, not to clean your ducts.
Here’s how it plays out. The crew arrives, then the number climbs: a per-vent charge that wasn’t mentioned, a “mandatory” furnace cleaning fee, a sudden discovery of mould that requires an expensive treatment, or a claim that your job needs “extra equipment.” By the time they leave, the bill is often two to three times what a fair company would have quoted flat — and the actual cleaning is frequently rushed, done with an underpowered shop vacuum rather than proper equipment.
This is common enough in the industry that it’s worth knowing the red flags. You can read our full breakdown of how to spot a duct cleaning scam, but the short version is: an unrealistically low advertised price is the tell. Real, thorough duct cleaning has a real cost, and it’s the range at the top of this page.
How to get an honest quote
Before you book anyone, ask for four things:
- A clear price structure — either a flat all-in number or a stated per-vent rate with the vent count included.
- What’s actually included — supply ducts, return ducts, main trunk lines, and whether the furnace/blower is part of it or extra.
- The equipment they use — proper duct cleaning uses a truck-mounted vacuum or a high-powered portable HEPA negative-air machine, not a retail shop vac.
- A written quote — so the price you agreed to is the price you pay.
If a company won’t give you a number over the phone or a written estimate, that’s your answer.
Is duct cleaning worth the money?
Honestly? Not every year, and not for every home. The industry standard, from the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), is roughly once every three to five years for a typical household.
It’s clearly worth doing in specific situations: after a renovation that filled your ducts with construction dust, when you’ve moved into a home with unknown maintenance history, if you have shedding pets, if someone in the house has worsening allergies or respiratory issues, or if you see or smell mould. If none of that applies and you cleaned two years ago, you can probably wait. We’d rather tell you that than sell you a service you don’t need — and we go deeper on whether duct cleaning is worth it in a separate guide.
Duct cleaning in Orillia and Simcoe County
Orillia’s housing mix — century homes near downtown, newer builds in West Ridge, and seasonal properties around Lake Couchiching — means duct systems here vary a lot. Older homes often have legacy ductwork and long runs; cottages and lakeside properties deal with more humidity and seasonal buildup. All of that affects the quote, which is why a real number comes from looking at your specific system, not a flat-rate ad.
If you’re local and want a straightforward, all-in price with no upsell theatre, Ducts on the Run serves homeowners, condos, and rentals across Orillia. We’ll count your vents, tell you what’s included, and give you the price before we start.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I have my ducts cleaned? For most homes, every three to five years, in line with NADCA guidance. Clean sooner after renovations, if you have pets, or if you notice mould, odours, or worsening allergies.
Why are some duct cleaning quotes under $100? Almost always bait pricing. The advertised figure gets a technician to your door, then add-ons and “found problems” inflate the final bill. Expect to pay a fair market rate for thorough work.
Does the price include cleaning my furnace? Not usually — furnace and blower cleaning is typically an add-on, though bundling it with a duct cleaning is cheaper than booking separately.
How long does a duct cleaning take? Most standard homes take two to four hours, depending on size, vent count, and how accessible the ductwork is.
Is duct cleaning covered by insurance? Routine cleaning isn’t, but cleaning tied to a covered event (like smoke or water damage) sometimes is. Check with your provider.
Ducts on the Run provides residential and commercial duct cleaning across Orillia and the surrounding area. Book a cleaning or get a quote here.