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.
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AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Malibu
Air duct cleaning in Malibu typically runs $450-$850 for a full residential system, with most homes in the $550-$700 range depending on duct accessibility and contamination level. We’re Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning, and we’ve been driving the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu homes since 2005. Our crews know the difference between a beachfront cottage on pilings with crawl-space duct runs and a canyon home tucked up Latigo Canyon with decades of original flex duct. Scheduling and dispatch are coordinated from our Los Angeles office, but the technicians who arrive at your door serve Malibu regularly. Call (323) 918-4345 for a free written estimate before any work starts.
Why Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning Is Malibu’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
Malibu homeowners call us back because we treat the house like it’s our own. Our background-checked, uniformed technicians work to the Cedarwell C.A.R.E. values: shoe covers and drop cloths from the moment we walk in, quiet tools during nap hours, and pet-safe product choices where available. Every visit comes with a written price agreed before we touch anything, backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right, we make it right. Full stop.
We’ve built our reputation on showing, not telling. A photo of the clean-up goes to you before the crew leaves. That’s visual proof your home is left better than we found it. And when you call (323) 918-4345, a live person answers, 24/7. Not a chatbot. Not a voicemail tree. A real human who can schedule your appointment or answer questions about what we actually do.
Our local knowledge runs deep. We know Malibu Park homes from the 1960s often have original metal flex connectors corroded by salt-laden marine air. We know post-Woolsey rebuilds in areas like Point Dume have brand-new duct systems sitting alongside older runs that haven’t been touched in thirty years. That patchwork matters. We inspect before we quote, because what we find determines what you actually need.
Vent Cleaning in Malibu
Vent cleaning in Malibu starts with understanding what your vents have been breathing. In beachfront properties along Pacific Coast Highway, supply and return vents pull in salt-laden marine layer moisture year-round, leaving a sticky film that traps dust and promotes mold growth on vent grilles and just inside the duct throat. In canyon homes, Santa Ana winds drive chaparral dust through the same openings, and for homes that survived the 2018 Woolsey Fire, vents may still be releasing trapped smoke particulate every time the HVAC cycles on.
Our Air Duct Cleaning team uses Rotobrush agitation tools and HEPA-filtered negative pressure collection to remove buildup at the vent source, not just wipe the visible surface. We clean supply vents, return vents, and the boot connections behind the wall where most DIY attempts stop short.
Supply Vent Cleaning
Supply vents push conditioned air into your rooms. When they’re clogged with dust or coated with marine-layer residue, airflow drops and your system works harder. We remove each grille, clean the boot and first few feet of duct, and reinstall everything properly. Most Malibu homes have 8-15 supply vents; we count and price by the system, not per-vent.
Return Vent and Filter Housing Cleaning
Return vents are the intake side, and in Malibu they’re often the most contaminated. This is where ash and smoke particulate collected during wildfire events, where pet hair gathers, and where the filter housing itself can become a source of recontamination. We clean the housing, replace the filter if needed, and confirm the seal is intact.
Air Duct Repair in Malibu
Air Duct Repair in Malibu often reveals problems that developed slowly and were hidden completely. The combination of salt-air corrosion, marine-layer moisture, and decades of temperature cycling degrades metal flex connectors, separates duct seams, and crushes flex runs in tight crawl spaces. In Malibu Park, we opened the return-air plenum of a 1960s ranch home that had survived Woolsey and found the filter housing packed with fine grey ash; a camera inspection revealed crushed flex duct in the crawl space and disconnected runs feeding two rear bedrooms. After setting up negative pressure with HEPA filtration and using Rotobrush agitation tools, we performed source removal on the supply and return ducts, then reconnected and sealed the failed runs. Our tech noted the original metal flex connectors had corroded from years of salt-laden marine air, so we replaced those sections as well.
That job is typical of what we find here. The repair work, not just the cleaning, is what restores airflow and protects your system.
Disconnected and Crushed Duct Runs
Crawl spaces under PCH beach homes and tight attics in canyon rebuilds often have flex duct that’s been crushed by storage, damaged by pests, or simply pulled apart at connections. We locate the break with video inspection, then reconnect or replace the damaged section and seal with mastic. A typical repair of 1-2 runs runs $280-$520 in Malibu.
Corroded Connector Replacement
Metal flex duct connectors in coastal Malibu homes corrode faster than inland properties. We replace failed connectors with corrosion-resistant materials and seal the joints properly. Most connector replacements are $180-$340 per location, and we always inspect adjacent sections while we’re there.
Trusted Brands We Service in Malibu
We clean and repair duct systems connected to equipment from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies, and we carry common replacement parts for faster turnaround on Malibu jobs. Our Nikro and Rotobrush cleaning equipment is professional-grade, not rental-store level. That matters when you’re dealing with post-wildfire particulate that requires serious source removal, or when a crushed duct run needs camera verification before we cut into anything. We don’t guess. We look, we show you, we quote, then we work.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Malibu Homes
- Post-wildfire ash packed into return-air plenums. Homes whose HVAC systems ran during the 2018 Woolsey Fire essentially vacuum-filtered smoke for hours. The ash sits in filter housings and return plenums, releasing odor every time heat kicks on. Standard filter changes don’t reach it. Source removal with HEPA containment does.
- Marine-layer corrosion on metal flex connectors. Salt-laden coastal air accelerates rust on duct hardware, weakening connections that then separate or leak. We find this in beachfront properties from Malibu Colony to Point Dume, often in homes that look pristine from the street.
- Patchwork systems in post-fire rebuilds. New ductwork installed after Woolsey sits beside original runs that haven’t been serviced in decades. The pressure imbalance between old and new sections reduces efficiency and can pull contamination from the older side into the cleaned side.
- Crushed flex duct in crawl spaces. Beach homes on pilings have tight, awkward crawl spaces where original flex duct gets compressed by storage, settling, or previous contractor traffic. Airflow to entire rooms drops before homeowners notice anything wrong.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Malibu, CA
Most full-system residential duct cleanings in Malibu fall between $550 and $700. Smaller beach cottages with simple basement or closet-mounted systems sometimes run $450-$550. Larger canyon estates with zoned systems, multiple air handlers, or extensive crawl-space duct runs can reach $750-$850. Vent cleaning alone, when that’s all that’s needed, typically runs $280-$420.
Air duct repair adds $180-$520 depending on what’s found: connector replacement at the lower end, multiple crushed runs or extensive resealing at the higher end. We always inspect with a camera before quoting repair work, so you see what we see.
What affects your price: system size and zone count, duct accessibility (crawl space vs. attic vs. closet), contamination level (standard dust vs. post-wildfire particulate requiring HEPA protocols), and whether repairs are needed. We give one flat price per system, agreed in writing before work starts. No per-vent pricing. No surprises on the invoice. Call (323) 918-4345 for your free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Malibu
Our crews regularly work in Malibu and the surrounding communities: Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, Thousand Oaks, and Calabasas. Each area has its own duct characteristics, from the inland dust patterns of Thousand Oaks to the canyon homes of Calabasas that share Malibu’s wildfire exposure. We adjust our approach to what we find, not a one-size-fits-all checklist.
Serving Malibu, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Malibu area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning in Malibu
Yes, source removal duct cleaning with HEPA containment can eliminate smoke odor trapped in your duct system. The smell comes from fine ash and combustion particulate packed into return-air plenums and filter housings when your HVAC ran during the fire event. Standard filter changes don’t reach this material. We use negative pressure collection and agitation tools to remove it at the source, then provide before-and-after photos so you can see the difference. Call (323) 918-4345 for an inspection and exact quote.
Malibu’s Pacific marine layer delivers persistent salt-laden moisture that corrodes metal flex connectors and inner duct liners faster than inland climates. Beachfront properties along PCH see this most acutely. The corrosion weakens connections, promotes mold growth on organic buildup, and eventually causes separations that leak conditioned air into crawl spaces or attics. We inspect for corrosion during every cleaning and can replace failed connectors before they cause bigger problems.
A typical cleaning covers all supply and return vents, the duct runs between them, and the filter housing, using Rotobrush agitation and HEPA-filtered negative pressure collection. We protect your floors with drop cloths, work room by room, and photograph the completed clean-up before we leave. For Malibu homes with post-wildfire contamination or marine-layer mold, we may recommend additional source removal protocols. The written price we provide before starting covers the full system, not per-vent add-ons.
Dryer vent lint buildup is a fire risk in any home, and Malibu’s wildfire history makes prevention worth taking seriously. Beach homes often have longer vent runs through walls to exterior terminations, which accumulate lint in bends and horizontal sections. Canyon homes may have vents that terminate under decks or in enclosed spaces where heat concentrates. We clean dryer vents with rotary tools and airflow verification, and we inspect the termination point for proper clearance. Dryer vent cleaning typically runs $180-$280 in Malibu.
Most Malibu homes benefit from duct cleaning every 3-5 years under normal conditions. Homes that survived the Woolsey Fire with HVAC running should be inspected regardless of schedule, as should properties with visible mold, persistent odors, or recent renovation dust. Beachfront homes with heavy marine-layer exposure may need more frequent connector inspection. We’ll tell you honestly whether your system needs work now or can wait. Call (323) 918-4345 to schedule a free assessment.
Ready to see what’s in your ducts? Call Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning at (323) 918-4345 for a free written estimate. We’ll inspect your system, show you what we find, and give you one flat price before any work starts. Every job is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise and the Cedarwell Care Promise. Shoe covers, drop cloths, quiet tools, and a photo of your clean home before we leave. That’s how we do it.
Written by Paul Adeyemi, Owner at Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning, serving Malibu since 2005.