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.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Los Altos
Dryer vent cleaning in Los Altos typically costs $180-$340 for a standard single-family home, and most jobs are scheduled within a few business days. We’re Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning, and our crews work Los Altos regularly - from the original ranch neighborhoods near Loyola Corners to the hillside streets off Magdalena and the Foothill Expressway corridor. If your dryer is taking two cycles, your laundry room feels unusually warm, or you’ve noticed the outside vent flap barely moves when the dryer runs, the vent run is probably loaded with lint you can’t see from either end. Call us at (323) 918-4345 for a free estimate, or read on to understand what we find in Los Altos homes and what fixing it actually involves.
Why Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning Is Los Altos’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
We’ve been serving Los Altos since 2005 as part of the Cedarwell family of independently owned companies, and our reputation here is built on showing up, explaining the work, and leaving the home cleaner than we found it. Los Altos homeowners consistently mention the same things in feedback: our technicians asked about the dog before opening the front door, laid drop cloths across the entry tile without being asked, and showed them a photo of the lint we’d pulled from their vent before we packed up.
Our San Francisco Bay Area office coordinates scheduling for Los Altos, so we’re not driving up from San Jose or across from the East Bay. That matters when you’re trying to book around school pickup or a work-from-home meeting block. We answer the phone with a live person 24/7, and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts - no exceptions, no surprises on the invoice.
Every visit is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right, we make it right. Full stop.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Service in Los Altos
Dryer Vent Cleaning Service in Los Altos is not the same job it is in newer cities nearby. In Los Altos’s 1950s-1960s ranches, dryer vents were commonly run as long, uninsulated flexible foil or spliced hard pipe through the hot unconditioned attic to a roof or soffit cap rather than a short straight wall termination, so lint accumulates at every sag and joint instead of collecting where a homeowner can see it. The result is that many Los Altos dryers still heat and tumble normally while the lint pathway is largely blocked - a condition far less common in the newer tract construction a mile east in Sunnyvale. Our Dryer Vent Cleaning team uses professional-grade Rotobrush and Nikro equipment to clean these longer, more complex runs thoroughly, not just vacuum the first few feet from the laundry room.
A typical dryer vent cleaning in Los Altos runs $180-$260 for a standard single-family ranch with one dryer and a roof or soffit termination. Homes with longer attic runs, multiple direction changes, or heavy lint accumulation may run $260-$340. We inspect the full run with a camera before and after so you can see the difference.
Camera Inspection and Lint Removal
We start every Los Altos job by pulling the dryer and inspecting the transition hose, then running a camera through the full vent path to locate sags, offsets, and blockages. Our Nikro negative pressure unit pulls lint out under controlled suction while agitation tools break up compacted deposits. You’ll see the before-and-after footage, and we’ll show you exactly where the lint was pooling.
Sealing and Reconnection
Cleaning alone doesn’t last if the vent run is crushed behind the dryer or disconnected in the attic. We check every joint and reseal with proper metal tape or screws where code allows. In Los Altos’s older homes, this step often matters more than the cleaning itself.
Dryer Vent Installation in Los Altos
Dryer Vent Installation in Los Altos often means replacing a deteriorating original run rather than putting in something brand new. The foil flex and unlined duct board common in 1960s construction sheds material into the lint pathway after decades of hot-attic cycling, and a straight cleaning alone won’t hold. We replace these failing systems with smooth-wall metal pipe where possible, properly supported across attic joists to eliminate sags, and terminated with a code-appropriate cap that actually opens under dryer airflow. A typical dryer vent installation or full replacement in Los Altos runs $340-$580 depending on length, access, and whether we need to route through a wall or roof.
Vent Rerouting for Better Performance
Some Los Altos ranches have attic runs that are simply too long for effective drying. Where structure allows, we can reroute to a shorter wall termination, cutting drying time and reducing future lint buildup. We’ll show you the route on camera and explain why it helps before quoting any rerouting work.
Bird Guard and Cap Replacement
Roof and soffit caps in Los Altos collect debris and sometimes host nesting birds. We install proper bird guards and replace deteriorated caps so the vent terminates safely and functions as designed. This is often the finishing touch on an installation job.
Trusted Brands We Service in Los Altos
Our Los Altos crews work with professional equipment from Rotobrush, Nikro, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies - not rental-shop vacuums with a brush taped to the hose. We stock common vent caps, transition hoses, and bird guards locally, so most Los Altos jobs don’t wait on parts. If your dryer is a higher-end brand like Miele, Bosch, or a newer LG with a long vent sensor, we know how those units interact with restricted airflow and can advise whether cleaning or rerouting is the better fix.
Common Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Los Altos Homes
- Attic-routed vents sag between joists, so lint pools at the low points and the exterior cap shows almost nothing even when the run is heavily loaded. Homeowners in neighborhoods near the Country Club area and along Miramonte often tell us the vent “looks fine from outside” while the dryer barely functions.
- Room additions, kitchen expansions, and ADU builds common in Los Altos frequently splice new flex into an existing 1960s run, leaving offset joints and crushed elbows where lint snags first. We find construction dust mixed with lint in these splices, especially in homes that renovated during the 2020-2022 boom.
- Foil and unlined duct board in these homes deteriorates with years of hot-attic cycling, so the vent wall itself sheds material into the lint pathway. The vent looks intact from the laundry room but is shedding fibers downstream.
- Crushed transitions behind the dryer are nearly universal in older Los Altos ranches where the unit was pushed back against the wall without enough clearance. This single point can choke airflow more than any attic blockage.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos, CA
Here’s what dryer vent work actually costs in Los Altos:
- Dryer vent cleaning (standard ranch, one dryer): $180-$260
- Dryer vent cleaning (long attic run, heavy buildup): $260-$340
- Vent installation or full replacement: $340-$580
- Vent rerouting to shorter termination: $400-$650
- Bird guard or cap replacement: $85-$180
These are whole-job prices, not per-foot or per-vent teaser rates that balloon once we’re on site. We give you a written price before any work starts, every time. What affects cost: length of the vent run, number of direction changes, attic access difficulty, and whether we’re cleaning an intact system or replacing deteriorated materials. Every estimate is free, and we’ll explain exactly what we found during inspection before you decide. Call (323) 918-4345 to schedule.
We Also Serve Cities Near Los Altos
Our crews work throughout the Peninsula, and we regularly schedule Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos alongside jobs in Mountain View, Stanford, Palo Alto, and Portola Valley. If you have a rental property, an aging parent’s home, or a second property in one of these cities, we can coordinate multiple appointments and apply the same upfront pricing and Done Right Promise to each location.
Serving Los Altos, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos 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 Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos
Older Los Altos ranches typically have longer attic-routed vents with flexible foil or spliced hard pipe that sags and traps lint in ways short wall-terminated systems don’t. Newer Sunnyvale tracts usually have straight 4-foot runs through an exterior wall, so cleaning is faster and blockages are visible early. Our Los Altos jobs almost always require camera inspection and attic access to find the real problem.
The vent flap only shows the last few inches of the termination. In Los Altos’s attic-routed systems, lint accumulates at sags and joints 20 or 30 feet away where you can’t see it. The dryer still heats and tumbles, but airflow is choked. A camera inspection reveals the actual blockage. Call (323) 918-4345 and we’ll show you exactly what’s inside your run.
Yes, frequently. Los Altos’s renovation cycle disturbs aging duct systems, and new flex splices into old runs pull construction dust directly into the dryer vent path. We often find this during post-renovation cleanings, especially when the homeowner notices new drying problems after a kitchen or addition project.
We can and often do. We replace failing foil and duct board with smooth-wall metal pipe, properly supported and sealed, which eliminates the shedding and sag problems that cause repeat clogs. We’ll show you the condition of your current material on camera and quote replacement separately from cleaning so you can decide.
Most Los Altos homes benefit from annual dryer vent inspection and cleaning every 12-18 months. The dry Mediterranean climate and extended fire season mean lint is already desiccated and highly combustible, and the city’s older vent materials deteriorate faster with hot-attic cycling. Homes with heavy laundry use, multiple pets, or recent renovation should schedule more frequently. Call (323) 918-4345 for a free estimate and we’ll recommend an interval based on your specific system.
Written by Paul Adeyemi, Owner at Morton’s Air Duct Cleaning, serving Los Altos since 2005.




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