Sweep & inspection
Caps & crowns
Flue relining
Masonry repair
Gas fireplace serviceLevel 1 sweep and inspection to the NFPA 211 annual standard - flue, crown, cap, and flashing checked and photographed
Chimney sweep logs do not sweep chimneys. They loosen some creosote - which then falls where a brush and vacuum still have to collect it.
Fast, Reliable Dryer Vent Cleaning Across Chicago
Dryer vent cleaning in Chicago typically costs between $120 and $240 for a single-family home, and somewhat more for a two- or three-flat where the vent run is longer or serves shared masonry. We’re based on the Near North Side and work throughout Chicago weekly, from the bungalow belt to the lakefront high-rises. If your dryer takes two cycles to dry a load or the laundry room smells like burnt dust, the vent probably needs attention. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll walk you through what’s involved.
Chicago’s housing stock makes dryer vent cleaning different here than in the suburbs. We know what’s behind the walls in a 1920s Bridgeport two-flat versus a post-war bungalow in Jefferson Park. That matters when a vent has been routed through an unlined masonry chimney or a shared flue that was never designed for a dryer at all. Norm Sobieski and our team have seen enough of these setups to know what to check before we even pull the first section of duct apart.
Why Sandstone Chimney Sweep Is Chicago’s Preferred Dryer Vent Cleaning Company
We built our reputation in Chicago on chimney work first. That matters for dryer vents because so many Chicago dryer vents tie into the same masonry structures we already know inside and out. When a homeowner on the Lower West Side calls us for a dryer vent cleaning, we’re not just poking a brush through a duct. We’re checking how that duct connects to the rest of the building envelope, which is exactly what Dryer Vent Cleaning should be in this city.
Chicago customers tend to ask the same thing: “Can you show me what you found?” That’s a fair question, and it’s why we run a camera down every vent we clean and every chimney we inspect. You see the lint blockage, the cracked tile, the rusted duct joint, whatever it is. Nothing gets recommended on our word alone. Norm Sobieski started this company on that principle, and it’s held up across every neighborhood we work in.
We’re also one of the few companies in the city that handles both dryer vents and chimneys under one roof. That gap between “the vent guy” and “the chimney guy” is where problems fall through. A dryer vent terminating inside a shared chimney flue is a chimney problem and a vent problem at the same time. We fix both sides of it in one visit.
Styles & brands we work with
Our Dryer Vent Cleaning Services in Chicago
Dryer Vent Cleaning
We run a rotary brush through the full vent run, from the dryer connection to the exterior cap, and remove the lint mat that accumulates at every joint, elbow, and transition. In Chicago two- and three-flats, vents often run long horizontal distances through unheated attics or cold exterior walls. That’s where lint sticks hardest, especially after a winter of freeze-thaw cycles has cracked the duct joints and given lint something rough to grab onto. One visit, one complete clean.
Dryer Vent Inspection
Every cleaning includes a camera inspection, so you see the before-and-after inside your vent. But we also do standalone inspections for homebuyers, landlords, and anyone who just bought a Chicago greystone or worker’s cottage and doesn’t trust the previous owner’s maintenance. We check for disconnected duct sections, rust-through, critter nests, and improper terminations. If the vent dumps into an old chimney flue, we verify that flue is actually lined. Many Chicago flues aren’t.
Dryer Vent Installation
When a vent run is too far gone to clean, or the dryer has been vented somewhere it should never have been vented, we install new rigid metal ducting. In Chicago, that often means re-routing a second-floor dryer vent that currently shares a chimney flue with a furnace or water heater. That combination is a backdrafting hazard and a carbon monoxide risk, and it’s astonishingly common in pre-war brick flats. We install dedicated vent runs with proper caps, sealed joints, and the shortest path to outside that the building allows.
Dryer Vent Cap and Termination Repair
Chicago winters are hard on exterior vent caps. Spalling brick, cracked mortar crowns, and rusted caps let meltwater into the vent run. In the summer that water hides, but the rust and lint-cheese it leaves behind doesn’t. We replace damaged caps, reseal the opening with the right mortar, and make sure the termination actually terminates outside the building rather than inside a shared attic or wall cavity. In neighborhoods like McKinley Park and East Garfield Park, we see vent terminations that haven’t been touched since the Eisenhower administration.
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.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
Trusted Brands We Service in Chicago
We stock and install professional-grade vent components from HeatShield, Gelco, and Olympia Chimney. These are the product lines specified by certified chimney professionals and restoration contractors, not the box-store substitutes that rust out after a few Chicago winters. When a Chicago two-flat needs a new liner because the dryer vent was run through a crumbling clay-tile flue, we install HeatShield resurfacing or a proper metal termination from Olympia or Gelco. We keep common parts on our truck so most replacements happen the same day we find the problem.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterCommon Dryer Vent Cleaning Problems We See in Chicago Homes
- Dryer vents terminating in unlined masonry chimneys. Chicago’s brick two- and three-flats were built before dryers existed. When dryers arrived, someone routed the vent into whatever flue was handy. An unlined flue lets lint collect behind cracked mortar joints where it can smolder for hours before anyone notices.
- Shared-flue conflicts in multi-unit buildings. Dryer exhaust crossing paths with furnace or water heater venting in the same flue creates backdrafting. That pushes combustion gases back into living space. In a city where a single chimney stack often serves three flats, this is one of the most common CO risks we document.
- Freeze-thaw damage to exterior terminations. Chicago’s cycle of hard freezes and thaws cracks mortar crowns and spalls brick around vent caps. Meltwater gets in, rusts the duct, and creates blockages you can’t see from inside. We find these in spring cleanings when winter ice has finally let go.
- Long, sagging horizontal runs in unheated attics. Two-flat and bungalow layouts often push dryer exhaust 15 to 20 feet horizontally through cold attic space. Lint condenses and cements in those runs, especially after a hard winter. The dryer works harder, the vent clogs faster, and the fire risk climbs.
Pricing for Dryer Vent Cleaning in Chicago, IL
A single-family dryer vent cleaning in Chicago runs $120 to $180. A two- or three-flat is usually $180 to $240, because the vent run is longer, often shared, and may require roof access for the exterior inspection. If the vent terminates in a masonry chimney and we need to inspect the flue condition too, that adds $75 to $125 for the camera work. Here’s the breakdown:
- Single-family home, standard roof or wall termination: $120 – $180
- Two- to four-flat, shared or long vent run: $180 – $240
- Camera inspection add-on (if not already included): $75 – $125
- Dryer vent cap replacement: $60 – $110 depending on cap type
- Complete vent re-routing or installation: quoted per project, typically $400 – $900
Call (833) 589-7835 for an exact quote. Estimates are free. We’ll ask about your building type, where the dryer sits, and where the vent exits. Ten minutes on the phone gives you a real number before we schedule anything.
We Also Serve Cities Near Chicago
While this page is about Dryer Vent Cleaning in Chicago, our trucks regularly cover the neighborhoods and nearby communities that circle the city. That includes Lower West Side, East Garfield Park, McKinley Park, and Near South Side. If you’re in one of those areas, the same team, the same camera inspection, and the same pricing apply.
Serving Chicago, IL — Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chicago 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 – Dryer Vent Cleaning in Chicago
Every 12 to 18 months for a two-flat, assuming one dryer per building. Shared vent runs, long horizontal sections through cold attics, and proximity to masonry chimneys all accelerate lint buildup. If your dryer vent terminates in a shared chimney flue, clean it annually and inspect the flue at the same time. Call (833) 589-7835 and we’ll help you figure out the right interval for your building.
No. Dryer exhaust and furnace or water heater exhaust should never share a flue. The combination creates backdrafting pressure that can push carbon monoxide into living space, and lint in a flue that also carries combustion is a fire hazard. If you have this setup in your Chicago building, we need to see it on camera and then re-route the dryer vent to its own termination. Call (833) 589-7835 for an inspection.
Clothes taking two or three cycles to dry, a burning dust smell in the laundry room, excessive heat on the dryer body, and visible lint around the exterior vent cap are the main signs. In pre-war brick flats, also watch for moisture in the walls near the vent run and a CO alarm that goes off for no obvious reason. Those are red flags that the vent isn’t clearing. Call us and we’ll camera-verify what’s happening.
Only if the dryer vent terminates into or near the chimney structure. In Chicago, many older homes route dryer exhaust into a chimney flue or through the masonry itself, so we inspect the flue with a camera to check for cracked tiles, missing mortar, and shared-flue conflicts. If the vent runs independently to an exterior wall, the chimney doesn’t factor in. We’ll tell you which applies after the first camera pass. Call (833) 589-7835 to schedule.
Because you should never be told you need a thousand dollars of repair work you cannot see. We run a camera through every vent we clean and every chimney we inspect, and we show you the footage before recommending anything. In Bridgeport, Norm’s team found a second-floor dryer vent routed into a disused chimney flue shared with the first-floor furnace, with lint packed behind a crumbling mortar joint. The camera made the problem obvious. We installed a HeatShield liner and a dedicated vent cap, and the homeowner watched the whole thing on screen before approving any work. That’s how it should work. Call (833) 589-7835 for a free estimate.
Contact Sandstone Chimney Sweep today at (833) 589-7835 for dryer vent cleaning, inspection, or installation in Chicago. Free estimates, camera verification on every job, and a team that treats your building like it’s our own.
Written by Norm Sobieski, Owner at Sandstone Chimney Sweep, serving Chicago and surrounding neighborhoods.