Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterAir Duct Cleaning Before & After in Chicago, IL
We’ve cleaned ducts in Chicago homes since 2013, and we’ve learned one thing: homeowners don’t trust what they can’t see. That’s why every CleanRun job ends with a Documented Photo Record of every duct run, delivered before we leave. This page shows what that documentation actually captures.
Recent Transformations
Post-Renovation Dust Load, Lincoln Park Single-Family
The homeowners in Lincoln Park had finished a six-month renovation and were still wiping drywall dust off their furniture every morning. The camera showed a 2-inch layer of fine construction debris at the plenum, the sheet-metal box that distributes air from your furnace into the duct runs. We used negative-pressure extraction, which is a large vacuum hooked to the trunk line while we agitate the debris with a Rotobrush contact head, to pull the load out without pushing it into the living space. The after photos showed bare galvanized metal, and the homeowners stopped dusting their shelves twice a week.
Pet Hair Accumulation, Lakeview High-Rise Condo
This Lakeview unit was on the 14th floor of a building with a shared rooftop HVAC system, so the owners couldn’t control what happened upstream. What they could see was reduced airflow from their bedroom register and a persistent pet-hair smell when the heat kicked on. The camera showed the flex duct, the ribbed plastic tubing common in high-rise construction, packed solid with compacted hair at the first elbow. We used a Nikro portable extraction unit, which is designed for tight urban jobs where hauling a trailer-mounted system into a high-rise isn’t practical, and cleaned the register face and boot as well. The static pressure, which is the resistance the blower has to overcome, dropped enough that the owners felt the difference at the vent the same day.
Mold Remediation Follow-Up, Hyde Park Greystone
A Hyde Park greystone had a roof leak two years prior that soaked a section of return duct in the attic. The leak was fixed, but the fiberglass lining, the soft insulation inside some older ducts, held moisture and developed dark staining. A mold remediation company had treated the surrounding framing, but the duct itself hadn’t been opened. We cut access panels, mechanically cleaned the fiberglass with Abatement Technologies contact tools, and applied an EPA-registered antimicrobial through a fogging manifold. The photo record showed the staining removed and the antimicrobial coating applied evenly. We then sealed the access panels with gasketed covers so the system could be inspected again without new cuts.
New Homeowner Discovery, Portage Park Bungalow
The new owners of a Portage Park bungalow had no maintenance records from the previous owner, who’d lived there since 1978. We warned them that old galvanized duct, the heavy steel piping used before flex duct became common, can hold surprising debris loads without showing symptoms at the register. The camera proved it: a 3-inch debris build-up at the first elbow, mostly composed of degraded filter material and what looked like decades of cooking grease that had been drawn through the system. We used a rotary brush with nylon bristles, aggressive enough to knock the debris loose but soft enough not to damage the aged galvanizing, and extracted with a Honeywell portable HEPA unit. The owners now have a baseline photo record for whatever they do next with the house.
Allergy Symptom Investigation, Evanston Border Colonial
This family lived two blocks from the Chicago-Evanston border and had been managing their children’s allergy symptoms with medication and HEPA room units. They called us after replacing their furnace and wondering if the ductwork was part of the problem. The main return trunk, the large duct that pulls air back to the furnace, had a fine particulate coating that standard 1-inch fiberglass filters had been passing for years. We performed full-system negative-pressure extraction and upgraded them to an Aprilaire 4-inch pleated media filter, which has more surface area and finer capture than the disposable filters they’d been buying at the hardware store. The photo record showed the trunk clean, and the filter upgrade was documented in their job file for future service reference.
Dryer Vent Fire Hazard, Rogers Park Two-Flat
The upstairs tenant in this Rogers Park two-flat mentioned that their dryer was taking two cycles to finish a load. The vent run was 18 feet with two 90-degree elbows, which is near the maximum recommended length for safe dryer operation, and the camera showed lint packed so tight that the cross-section was reduced by more than half. This is a genuine fire hazard: dryer lint is extremely combustible, and restricted airflow causes the heating element to run hotter. We used a rotary auger with a reverse-bristle head to pull the lint back toward the dryer rather than pushing it toward the roof termination, then verified airflow with an anemometer. The photo record showed the full 4-inch diameter restored, and we documented the measured airflow in the job file for comparison at the next cleaning.
What Every CleanRun Photo Record Includes
Our Documented Photo Record isn’t a marketing gimmick. It’s a standard deliverable on every job, Haven Standard Clause 5, and it contains:
- Before and after images of every duct run we access, labeled by location (e.g., “Master bedroom supply, east wall”)
- The written scope of work, signed by the technician and the customer before work begins
- The written price, agreed before any panel comes off, per Haven Standard Clause 1
- Equipment notes: which Rotobrush, Nikro, or Abatement Technologies tools were used on which runs
- Post-job airflow or static pressure readings where applicable
- The 365-Day Done Right Promise, in writing, with the job number for reference
Customers receive this as a digital file before the crew leaves the driveway. No “we’ll email it later.” No “the office will send it Monday.” It’s part of the job.
What happens when you call
- 1
A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
- 2
You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
- 3
A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
- 4
You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
BeforeAfterWant Results Like These?
Every photo on this page represents a real Chicago home with a real debris load and a real outcome you can verify. If you want to see what your ducts actually look like, call (708) 683-3974. We’ll give you a written price before work starts, and you’ll get your own Documented Photo Record when we’re done. Free second opinions on any written estimate from another company.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Chicago, serving Chicago since 2013.