Dryer Vent Cleaning

How many do Dryer Vent Cleaning? How do market it? Has it been successful in your business?

I've thought about adding it, but that's as far as I've gotten so far.   

I'd also love to hear from anyone who does it!

Marketing it?.....I would think it would be a fairly easy sell while in home doing other cleaning, just by mentioning the risk of fire, and also showing them the stats on it.   

When we discussed it last time, I thought it was a great addition to a cleaner's list of services. Like Ryan, that was as far as I've got. My problem is in the tools, what do you use that looks professional, works well, and can't be easily purchased by the homeowner down at the hardware store?

Figure the tools part out and you have a winner that should sell itself.

Dryer vent AND hvac duct cleaning??

Mostly hot water heat in my area.

If hvac also, a main factor in considering adding this service would be the percentage of homes using forced air hvac systems in your area.

If a big enough market exists in your area, I see no reason why it would not be worth looking into.

I would be sure to learn the whole range of equipment levels available, and learn the process to doing it right, as opposed to jumping on one of those "get rich quick" type adds that are found frequently in cleaning and small business opportunity publications.

I've read somewhere that CORRECTLY cleaning an entire average home hvac duct system, as opposed to just a dryer vent, is a big chore that requires more than "entry level get rich quick" equipment to do it right.

In my area, many of the hvac companies handle the duct cleaning and are pretty quick to go on the attack when a "cleaner" offers the service.  Many States require an hvac license to fully clean an hvac system, so I have stayed away from that service.  Plus, the EPA still doesn't support it as a beneficial practice except under special conditions.

Dryer vents are a different story.  That is simply a matter of lint build-up that needs "cleaning" which is our wheelhouse.  We just need some professional tools to make that a service that the homeowner couldn't duplicate easily or else place the price for that service at a low enough rate that they would rather avoid the hassle...much like oil changes are now.  When I was a kid, everyone did their own oil changes, but now it only saves you about $10 doing it yourself, so most just have their mechanic do it.

I would think it would be an easy sell say $59.95. Cleans truck line from dryer to the unit, along with cleaning the lint collection area on the unit. It would take say 30 minutes to complete. Like Rob mentioned right tool box and you got a quick new up sell service. Beware of those up stair units though, better have a 20 ft ladder.   

Around $60 would be about right....might even be able to bundle it for a little less and still make out okay. There is some liability involved, so I think that you would need to cover those bases as well....photo evidence, signed waivers, advising insurance carrier, etc.

The job would be easy, one just needs to add the "showmanship" component to make it work. You can't be a magician without a cape. IF all you did was drop a vac hose down there...never going to impress and it would probably fail...get sexy with the process.

Using the SS filter like the one Joe has is a good start. That provides a little bling to the deal that they can't find at the hardware store. Mask up...that will help convince a custy that it requires a professional to clean those things correctly and help show a pita factor that they would want to avoid. Might even be able to add some statistics to the deal with proof that the dryer will heat up faster and dry more efficiently...before and after testing. Videoscopes to show a video of the difference you made.

All of these are just suggestions, but the key is to present this task as best left to a professional and not somehting that you knock out in 10 minutes for an extra buck.

I do dryer vent cleaning. It's a small part of my business but the extra $10k a year is nice. I charge $39 as an add-on service or $89 as a stand alone service or free with air duct cleaning. I don't do any that vent out the roof anymore because the time involved and the typical problems you can incur make it not worth it to me. I use a very inexpensive set up (about $40) that can be purchased on-line or at Home Depot. It is a 4" attached to 3' flex rods that screw together. It also comes with an auger tip that works great for removing bird nests.

1 - I explain to the customer exactly what I am going to do, and how I am going to do it. I also explain that this is something they can do for themselves.
2 - Turn the dryer on and estimate the length of the dyer vent duct run
3 - Go to the outside vent and remove and clean the bird cage & remove vent louvers
4 - Attach the rod with the 4" brush to your cordless drill and insert brush into dryer duct
5 - Trigger the drill while sliding the rod/brush back and forth into the duct
Now you will have the lint blowing out, being forced by the dryer blower
6 - With the first rod just sticking outside the vent, remove the drill, screw on another rod, and re-attach the drill
7 - Continue steps 5 and 6 until you reach the length of the duct to the dryer
Note - Only operate the drill in forward drive, if you put it in reverse the rods will unscrew and get left in the duct...
8 - Now that your brush has reached the dryer, keep the drill triggered and walk backwards pulling the rods/brush out of the duct.
9 - Repeat steps 4 through 8
10 - Ensure there is good air flow
11 - Re-install bird cage and louvers
12 - Rake up and throw away lint that has not blown away.

Start to finish about 20 minutes on most. However, if you hit a dense wet clog (rare) or the pipe comes apart due to old duct tape, or you pop the brush through one of those old white plastic flex ducts (on some older homes), be prepared to go under the house (or in the basement) to manually clean the duct and/or make the repairs.

I have never had anyone say "ok, I'll go get the stuff and do it myself". They usually say "at the price you charge, I'll just have you come back once a year". I have never had an unsatisfied dryer vent customer. They don't care about what the equipment looks like - they care about the result. When they see the gobs of lint coming out they are usually amazed.

Hope this helps.   

Great info Joe. Talk about a great ROI on an equipment purchase Thanks for the step by step instructions.

So while your doing this the lint is blowing all over the place or is it being caught by something? Have you found that the rods get stuck easily? Have they ever broken on you?

Why not use a shop vac ot TM vac with filter attached to the  outside vent and use the brush rods from the inside?

Thank you for the replies, guys.

I absolutely agree that with every service provided, professionalism is the first step in the sale. I have done a some research for dryer vent equipment, sales, marketing, etc.

The norm price range from $59.00 to $125.00 per unit, depending on the service provided and the service area. I plan on a $59.00 price if I am already on location with a job. Or, $79.00 if called to do the job. If I get other tools like, an anometer(sp) reader, or video camera I would raise my prices. However, I would not incurred additional investment until the service develops to support the additional investment.

I have checked and reviewed equipment functions, user comments, price and availability of three different dryer vent cleaning packages: Abatement Technologies (AT), Nikkro and Rovac.
All three packages have all the bells and whistles to do the job. The AT and Nikkro packages have more tools than what I need. Each package offers different rod sizes and rod flexibility. I liked the AT package the most, but it had more tools than what I felt I needed and because of that, it cost more. I was leaning towards purchasing the Rovac kit until I discussed it with an AT Rep. I was able to trim the AT package down to the tools I need and cut the price substantially.

I plan to introduce the service by sending post cards to my customer base. If anyone knows where to get a post card with DV cleaning presentation, please chime in. And if anyone has any other marketing ideas, please let us know.

Great information, Joe.

Hey Jord. I think Joe's post warrants and click of the "Thank You" button that is located on his post and only you as the original poster can do that. He will get 3 reputations and those points will be entered into the grand prize drawing of the Hawaiian vacation prize at the end of the year 

Jrod give Philip at Sign Amigo a call he's a sponsor here. He did our banner and logo

I charge $139 if it is a standard dryer vent of less than 20 ft and terminates at ground level.  If ladder access is needed to get to the vent then we charge $189 and if it vents to the roof it is $239.  Most don't complain about price and not many are doing it in my area so we are at the top of google when searching for dryer vent cleaning Olympia.
We use compressed air with the hose that was designed by ram air.  It brings the lint back toward the cleaner so you must wear a respirator or suffer a soar throat for a day or two.

I really think this service should be on every cleaner's menu, so hopefully, this topic gets a lot of attention as we flesh out the best details.

Jrod, you can't go wrong with Abatement Tech., I have been a client of theirs for 8 years and they really do make the best stuff for hazardous clean-up. They also get you some pretty good deals throughout the year. Nikro is awesome for Hepa vacs, but I lean to AT for everything else.

Mo, thank you for making me award of the Thank You button. Click on Thank you, Done!

Welcome Jrod

Mo wrote:Great info Joe. Talk about a great ROI on an equipment purchase Thanks for the step by step instructions.

So while your doing this the lint is blowing all over the place or is it being caught by something? Have you found that the rods get stuck easily? Have they ever broken on you?

Why not use a shop vac ot TM vac with filter attached to the  outside vent and use the brush rods from the inside?

The package does come with an attachment that you can modify to hook up a shop vac hose. I have thought about doing that, but at the end of the day hooking it up and using it will double the time of the job. I focus on keeping my cost as low as possible so I can pass the savings on to my customers. Plus I have found that people understand that lint comes out of the dryer vent on a daily basis, so they are not offended (and actually like to see it) coming out when I clean. If I was doing it on a regular basis as a primary service in mostly high end neighborhoods, I would add the shop vac and double the price. Not a bad idea if you really want to grow that side of the business - just not for me right now. The rods are very flexible and can make really tight turns. The only time I have lost a couple of rods and had to disassemble the pipe is when I first started and ran the drill in reverse... If anyone needs more detailed info on the potential pitfalls or the potential upsides - ie. re-routing ducts e-mail me at carpetdaddy@msn.com or call my cell - 410-441-0345. Or, come to Rehoboth Beach for a demo and a drink   

Mo, I have never seen the Thank You button. Where is it?

You'll only see it if you are the one that started the topic

I thought about air duct cleaning/ dryer vent cleaning

all the customers I talked to about it said it is done with furnace cleaning which isnt something I want to get into as its getting a little far away from steam cleaning

if your cleaning the ducts but not the furnace just seems a little incomplete but I know a lot of companies offer it, including the monster company around here coit



but also be aware that there was a lot of attention brought to this service yrs back, it was a very common scam that "companies" were doing so you may run into people that are very skeptical.

like these guys, they tell you that there is mold etc and its a big upsell thing

watch the video

I battle clowns like that every day around here. The funny thing is that even when you tell them it is a scam, they end up hiring them anyway. Some people you just can't save.

of course im not saying you guys do this,   but just be aware that many people are not as inclined to have this service done by companies that arent HVAC certified and clean furnaces/ install furnaces    or do it as a side "add on" service

usually when someone buys a furnace, the maintenance plan is also sold at the same time