Find out what your dryer vent is actually doing.
I put a meter on your outside vent hood, run your dryer, and write it up as your Airflow Report.
If your vent is clear, I tell you so and you pay nothing.
Evenings and weekends · Insured · Same person every visit
The Airflow Report measures the air leaving your exterior dryer vent hood. It takes about ten minutes and costs nothing, anywhere in the Bowie service area.
You get the reading in writing whether or not any work follows. If the vent is clear, nothing is cleaned and nothing is charged. If it is restricted, cleaning is a flat $169 for a standard wall exit, or $239 if your laundry is upstairs.
What ten minutes looks like
In this order, every time. The reading happens before anyone talks about money.
I find the hood
The vent hood outside, usually on a side or rear wall. Most people don't know where theirs is. That's normal.
Your dryer runs empty
On the air-only setting, no heat, no load. We just need the blower moving air so there's something to measure.
The meter goes on the hood
A vane anemometer reads the air leaving, in feet per minute. Same position and same distance on every job.
You get the number
Written down and handed to you, with a photo. That happens whether the news is good or bad.
What the number can and can't tell you
Plenty of companies wave a meter around and imply it's a certified test. Here is what this measurement actually is.
Three things to know
- Yes
Your before and after, on the same ventTaken with the same meter in the same spot minutes apart. This is the reliable comparison, and it's the one that shows whether the cleaning did anything.
- Yes
Your house against other houses nearbyEvery job goes in the same log, measured the same way. Over time that becomes a real picture of what normal looks like for Bowie homes.
- No
A certified or code-compliance testThis is a handheld meter at your vent hood, not a lab instrument at the dryer connection where manufacturers specify their airflow figures. It's a useful measurement, honestly taken. It isn't a certificate, and I won't dress it up as one.
A number you can see beats a technician's opinion. It just isn't the same thing as a lab result, and you deserve to know the difference.
There are only two ways this goes
Neither one involves a surprise number at the door.
Your vent is clear
$0I tell you the reading, hand you the photo, and leave. No cleaning, no charge, no attempt to sell you something else.
You keep the number as a baseline to compare against next year.
Your vent is restricted
$169Flat rate for a standard wall exit. $239 if your laundry is upstairs and the vent exits the side wall.
The number I say is the number you pay, whether the job takes forty minutes or ninety. You can book on the spot or think about it.
How likely is your vent to be blocked?
Four questions. This is a guess from symptoms, not a measurement, but it's a fair guide to whether the visit is worth booking.
Restriction estimator
Runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere and I never see your answers.
Why would anyone do this for free?
Because I'd rather show you a number than argue about whether you need the service.
Driving out to measure a vent costs me twenty minutes and some fuel. If the vent is blocked, I've earned the job in a way no sales pitch could match, because you watched the meter. If it's clear, I've made a neighbor who knows my name.
The alternative is what a lot of this industry does: quote a price on the phone, arrive, declare the vent worse than expected, hand over a bigger bill. That works exactly once per customer. I live in Bowie and plan to be here a while.
No trip fee, no minimum job size, no catch buried in it. It's a measurement, and you keep it either way.
Free Airflow Report questions
Is it really free?
Yes. No trip fee and no minimum job size. You get the reading and a photo whether or not any cleaning follows.
What is being measured?
Air speed at your exterior vent hood, in feet per minute, taken with a handheld vane anemometer while the dryer runs empty on air-only. A low reading means the duct behind the hood is restricted.
How accurate is it?
Accurate enough to compare your vent before and after, which is what matters. It's a handheld meter at the hood, not a lab instrument at the dryer connection, so I won't present it as a certified test. Same meter, same spot, same method on every job.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes. A full cleaning, if you want one, is a separate 45 to 60 minutes.
Do I have to be home?
Someone over 18 has to be there, because the dryer has to be switched on. That's why evening and weekend appointments are standard rather than a favor.
Will you try to sell me something else?
No. If I find a crushed hose, a broken flap or a bird nest, I photograph it, show you, and tell you what it costs. Nothing happens without your say-so. Roof vents and any duct replacement get referred out, because that's licensed work I don't do.
Do you test gas dryer vents?
Yes, and the measurement is identical. A blocked vent matters more on a gas dryer, because it can push carbon monoxide back into the house. The gas line and the appliance itself are work for a licensed technician.
Free everywhere I work
Same test, same no-charge outcome, no matter which town. No trip surcharge and no county line that changes the number.
- Bowie
- Mitchellville
- Glenn Dale
- Crofton
- Gambrills
- Lanham
- Upper Marlboro
- Annapolis
20715 · 20716 · 20720 · 20721 + surrounding
Full coverage detail is on the service areas page. Managing a community rather than one house? Per-unit testing is on the property managers page.
Book your free Airflow Report
Ten minutes, a number you keep, and no charge if your vent turns out to be clear.
Texting a photo of your vent hood works too. Or email hello@bowiedryerventcleaning.com.