How to Clean a Dryer Vent (With Video!)

Did you know that a clogged dryer vent can turn your laundry routine into a potential fire hazard? If your clothes are taking longer to dry or coming out musty, it might be time to give your dryer vent some much-needed attention. Luckily, we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step guide and an easy-to-follow video to help you keep your dryer efficient and safe.

Few appliances have had the same impact on human life as the humble washing machine and clothes dryer. They’ve taken what was once an arduous chore and turned it into a process that requires virtually no effort at all. Even drying clothes, something that once required hours of direct sunlight, low humidity, and a little wind, now takes nothing more than putting the damp laundry in the drum, setting the timer and heat level, and pushing the start button. With that being said, your dryer does need a little bit of maintenance and care. As the dryer does its work, it creates lint – tiny pieces of cloth from the clothing you’re drying. That lint must be captured, or it can cause a fire hazard. However, lint filters must be cleaned regularly and not all lint can be trapped – some slips past the filters and lodges in the dryer vent.

In this guide, we will discuss how to clean a dryer vent, taking you beyond cleaning the lint off the screen filter after every load and getting into the nitty-gritty of real dryer vent maintenance.

Why Should I Clean My Dryer Vent?

It’s natural to wonder why you should bother with the vent, particularly if you’re keeping a close eye on the primary lint filter on your dryer. Here’s the thing – all that lint that you don’t see collects within the vent and even in the body of the dryer. Over time, it builds up, blocking the safe exhaust of heat and air. In serious cases, it can actually catch on fire.

According to the US Fire Administration, up to 2,900 home dryers catch on fire every single year. The leading cause of those fires is not equipment malfunction but simply a failure to clean lint out regularly.

There are plenty of other reasons to keep that vent clean, too, even if the threat of fire isn’t enough to motivate you.

• Reduced airflow means clothes dry more slowly, increasing the chance of mildew and odors.
• You’ll use more energy to dry clothes, increasing your utility bills.
• Clothes get hotter (while drying more slowly), which creates more wear and tear, reducing the use-life.
• Increased dryer heat with decreased exhaust will raise both the temperature and humidity level in your laundry room, potentially leading to additional issues.

Now that we have your attention, there’s good news: cleaning your dryer vent isn’t very hard. It just requires a little knowledge.

How Often Should I Clean My Dryer Vent?

You should clean your dryer vent and exhaust ducting at least once a year. However, if you have a larger family and do a lot of laundry, you should increase that frequency to once every three to four months (three to four times per year). This will help ensure that you’re maximizing the dryer’s efficiency while also preventing a potential fire hazard.

How Do I Know When It’s Time to Clean My Dryer Vent?

Short of creating a strict schedule that dictates you clean your dryer vent on specific days, there are a few signs that you can watch for that indicate a buildup of lint and reduced drying capabilities. These include the following:

• Loads are taking longer and longer to dry
• Even small loads require longer cycles to dry
• You notice that clothes come out of the dryer a little musty
• You see lint in the dry body vent cavity when removing the filter
• You notice that the dryer is hotter than usual

Gather Your Equipment

The first step in cleaning out your dryer vent has nothing to do with removing lint but everything to do with ensuring you’re able to get it out of those hidden crevices where it lurks. You’ll need some specific tools and equipment to get this job done, including the following:

• Dryer vent brush kit
• Screwdrivers
• Vacuum with hose attachment
• Electric drill

First, Some Prep Work

Before you get started, it’s important to do a little bit of prep work. Take a look at the duct that connects the back of your dryer to the vent that leads to the home’s exterior. Is it flexible and ridged? If so, you should replace it. Chances are good that your municipality has already changed the codes so that these cannot be installed in new homes, but existing homes should change them out as soon as possible.

Ridged, flexible tubing was once used very frequently to connect dryers to outside vents because they were easy to weave through tight spaces. They also gave you a little bit more flexibility when it came to the installation location. However, because the interior is ridged, it collects lint and becomes both a problem for efficiency and a fire hazard.

Instead of ridged, flexible ductwork, you’ll want to install smooth ducting that won’t collect lint in the same way. You can find this at most big box and DIY stores, as well as through online retailers. Replacing your exhaust ducting now will save you time and hassle while keeping you and your family safer.

Cleaning Your Dryer Vents: Step by Step

Once you’ve taken care of the prep work and gathered the tools you will need, it is time to get started. Below, we’ll walk you through everything one step at a time. Unplug the dryer from the wall before taking any of the steps below. If your dryer is gas-powered, close the gas valve. Disconnect the duct joint and pull the dryer away from the wall so that you can easily access the back (as well as the exhaust duct).

Start with the Lint Trap

We’re going to start with the lint trap. This is the filter that you clean between each load of laundry in the dryer.

1. Remove the lint trap and clean any lint off it.
2. Take it to a sink and run a little water into it.
3. If the water collects instead of running through, wash it in hot soapy water with a scrub brush.
4. Repeat the water test and repeat the washing steps until water runs through the screen freely.
5. Snake the flexible hose attachment of your vacuum into the lint trap on the dryer and vacuum up the lint that’s caught inside.
6. Repeat this a second time.
7. Using the long, flexible brush from your dryer vent brush kit, clean any remaining lint from inside the trap.
8. Vacuum the lint off the bristles of the brush and then clean the trap again.
9. Repeat this process until the brush comes out clean and free of lint.
10. Connect your brush to a hand drill and then run the drill slowly while cleaning the inside of the duct to get even more lint out.

Cleaning the Duct

With the dryer pulled away from the wall and the nearest duct joint disconnected from the dryer:

1. With your dryer vent brush installed on your drill, place the attachment included in your cleaning kit into the dryer vent.
2. Attach your vacuum hose to the dryer vent attachment.
3. When installed, turn on the drill and vacuum at the same time.
4. Clean each duct section to remove all the lint while running the drill and vacuum.
5. Rotate the drill/brush while moving it in and out to maximize your cleaning. Add more extension rods as needed to clean the entire length of the duct.
6. Continue to clean and remove lint until no more comes out.
7. Check the vent cap and flapper at the end of the exhaust and clean as necessary.
8. Reassemble the ductwork by reinstalling the vent hose from the duct to the back of the dryer.
9. Move the dryer back in position.
10. Reconnect the dryer plug and open the gas valve (if applicable).

Maintenance Matters

While the steps outlined above will help you keep your dryer clean and free of lint, there are a few steps you can take that will limit lint collection in the dryer and help ensure that you’re safe between more thorough cleanings.

• Dryer Sheets – Who doesn’t love the smell of a good dryer sheet? The problem is that these chemical-coated sheets do a real number on your lint trap. Remember the step where you had to scrub the lint trap so that water could move through freely? That was because of dryer sheet chemical buildup on the screen. Limit the number of dryer sheets you use. If possible, go with an alternative, such as wool dryer balls that won’t cause these issues.
• Limit Large Loads – The larger and bulkier your dryer loads are, the harder the dryer has to work to do its job and the more lint is produced. Keep your laundry loads as small as you can, and try to hang dry the bulky items, like bedspreads and duvets that usually take two full cycles to dry (and create tons of lint in the process).
• Clean the Lint Trap – While you should certainly remove the lint that’s captured on the screen between loads, you should periodically vacuum up the lint still trapped inside the vent on the dryer.

Keeping Your Dryer Efficient and Safe

While there’s not a lot involved with cleaning your dryer vent, it is a critical part of home maintenance. A well-maintained dryer is more efficient, dries your clothing faster, and reduces your risk of a fire. As always, if you have any questions we are always here to help at AppliancePartsPros.com