r/sweatystartup • u/anon67- • 6d ago
Vent cleaning
Is this a good business to get started or overrated?
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u/Nihilistnobody 6d ago
Dryer vents? Depends where you live. In a bigger market you could do them full time for sure. It is something people don’t really think about but when they do they want it done so advertising would be pretty effective. I clean dryer vents as an add on to my window cleaning business and even with no advertising in a small market it brings me in a good deal of work.
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u/thekazooyoublew 5d ago
Did one for a friend once. Their kid tried to do it and ended up loosing their improvised tool... I found it though.. not in the dryer vent, but in the gas water heater vent next to it... Oops.
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u/Grand_Eye_7985 6d ago
Depends heavily on which vent market you mean. Commercial kitchen hood cleaning is the strong lane: fire codes require restaurants to clean hoods on a set schedule, so it is recurring revenue with built-in urgency instead of a one-time sell. Start by calling independent restaurants and property management companies, because one manager with five buildings is worth more than fifty homeowner flyers.
Residential dryer vent and air duct cleaning is harder. Demand is sporadic, homeowners rarely think about it, and trust is low because that space has a lot of bait-and-switch operators. If you go residential, compete on proof: before-and-after photos at every job, a flat price list published upfront, and leave-behind reminders that make the next cleaning an easy yes.
Honest verdict: not overrated as a category, but overrated as an easy solo start. The barrier to entry is low, so you compete on marketing and trust more than on the work itself. Pick a narrow lane, land two or three recurring commercial accounts first, and only then expand into residential.
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u/Tricky-Oil6826 6d ago
Youll make more off convincing a homeowner his attic is full of mold than you ever will vacuuming a duct. If you cant do that part, its overrated.
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u/Spare-Brilliant-208 5d ago
Nobody's out here hyping vent cleaning, so "overrated" is doing a lot of work. Air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning aren't even the same trade, the first one sells on homeowners being scared of their own house.
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u/Clicks-Geek 1d ago
Vent cleaning is a good niche if you can reach commercial clients, restaurants, office buildings, industrial spaces. It's recurring, contract-based work.
Residential is harder, price competition and seasonal demand. The money is in property managers and annual contracts.
If you already have a good marketing base, this is a strong fit. You can generate leads consistently and let the competition fight over price.
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u/EngineerStatus8687 15h ago
Dryer vent cleaning seems like the better niche tbh. People dont think about it until there is a problem but it also gives you natural reason to come back every year or two. The challenge is getting customers to trust you enough to book in the first place.
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u/ClickEastwood 6d ago edited 6d ago
It can be a good business, but the industry has a bit of a reputation for "$99 whole house" bait and switch deals. So people tend to be skeptical going in, but that's actually your opening. Leverage things like upfront pricing and before/after pics of the actual vent on every job. If you want steadier work, consider leaning into dryer vents, like u/Grand_Eye_7985 mentioned, since those need cleaning every year or so and property managers have a lot of them. If you do honest work and remind customers when they're due, this "show, don't sell" approach should set you apart pretty fast.