Name: How To Clean Your Dryer Vent
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How To Clean Your Dryer Vent

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× This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.Is your dryer slow to dry? Check out how to clean your dryer vent. Save some time and money with dryer vent cleaning. See how to clean dryer vent! These DIY dryer vent cleaning tips will have you cleaning like a pro!I spent years not knowing that you needed to clean out your dry vent. I would clean the lint off of the lint trap when I put clothes in the dryer, but that was as far as I ever got.I have to admit, it never occurred to me that you would need to go any deeper into the dryer to clean it. After all, isn't that what the lint trap is for?It helped that we moved every 2-3 years therefore, I guess my dryers never got clogged with lint. Or at least so bad that they were overheating.Not until we had lived in the same house with the same dryer for about 6 years that I started having problems.I first noticed that my clothes were slower and slower to dry. I would have to run the same load twice just to get it to dry.Then, I noticed that the dryer was getting extremely hot to the touch. I even burned one of my son's sweatshirts in the dryer.Turns out, the dryer vent was clogged with so much lint from over the years.This not only leads to clothes drying very slowly, but it can also cause a fire. Since I often start the dryer and leave the house this scared me. I figured I needed a dryer vent cleaning right away.Luckily dryer duct cleaning is easy to do! Check out this simple and easy-to-do dryer vent cleaning hack.Buy A Dryer Kit On Amazon!If the idea of cleaning a dryer vent sounds overwhelming don't worry! It's really pretty easy to clean a dryer vent and get it unclogged. If you haven't done it before you will probably find all sorts of fun things when you clean your vent out.&nbsp;To prevent fires and keep your dryer runny smooth check out these easy tips on how clean a dryer vent like a pro.&nbsp;Since I wasn't about to pay someone (it's around $150 or more where I live) to come and clean it out, I picked up a do it yourself kit.Keep your appliance clean with this easy appliance cleaning schedule!It makes it so much easier to do on your own. All you need it the kit and a vacuum. You can head over to Amazon to grab a dryer vent kit.I have found this kit is totally worth the money to clean your dryer vent. When you use it regularly your clothes will dry faster. Plus, it will help your dryer last longer. It's a win-win!Plus you can use the dryer vent kit to clean your fridge coils too!Step 1: You will want to start by cleaning off the lint trap. Then vacuum around the lint trap and vent to get out what you can.Step 2: After you have vacuumed that area take the lint trap vent brush and insert the brush into the lint trap vent as far as you can.It is very flexible and takes a bit of maneuvering to make sure it goes in all of the way. Once you get it in, twist the handle of the brush while slowly removing it to trap the lint.Step 3: Repeat if necessary.If you have much lint on the brush I recommend repeating this step once more. You can see below I am not getting a lot off with the brush, but that is because so much lint was inside the vent.Step 4: Once you have removed some of the lint with the brush you can use the vacuum hose attachment to really get in there and clean. This is where the magic happens! 🙂I am always amazed at the amount of lint that the attachment&nbsp;removes.It is very slow going, you need lots of patience to use the attachment. The attachment is very flat so it fits in the vent trap.Unfortunately, if you have as much lint as I usually do in my trap you will need to repeat this step about 10-12 times.Carefully feed the vacuum hose attachment into the trap. Attach to your vacuum and turn on the vacuum.Most likely you will quickly hear it clog and need to remove it.Remove it very carefully and pull the clog out and then repeat.Step 5: Keep repeating the above step until all the lint is removed.It takes a while, but you will be amazed by how much lint it removes. I sometimes spend 20-30 minutes doing this.Check out all of the lint it removed below! It is crazy!! Make sure you clean your dryer lint catcher too!You can see step by step instructions here on how to clean the dryer lint trap. You will actually want to scrub it not just remove the lint.Once you feel like the vent trap is clean you can move on to the dryer vent duct behind your dryer. Dryer duct cleaning is pretty easy and doesn't take a lot of time.Use the large dryer vent duct brush to clean out the duct. Move it carefully spinning while you push it in.Pull it out and remove the lint from the brush. If you find much lint on it repeat the step again. I never find too much lint in the duct. I think the majority of it was stuck in the dryer.The first time I cleaned my dryer vent this way I was amazed at the difference it made in drying time.My drying time of most of my clothes was cut in half. This not only saves me time but money too. I don't have to spend as much on gas to dry my clothes.By using the cleaning kit once a year I get a good amount of lint from it and don't have the same dryer problems that I did before.**UPDATE** I now clean my dryer vent every 3-6 months instead of once a year as I previously said.I might be crazy, but I just got so much out every time I did it once a year. Plus, since I started doing this I have heard of too many house fires started by lint in the dryer vent.Just to be safe I spend a little more time and keep it clean every few months.This simple dryer vent cleaning hack is amazing!Plus, it's so much cheaper than paying someone to clean my dryer vents. You don't need to be a big DIYer to do this DIY dryer vent cleaning.Following these tips on how to clean your dryer vent like a pro will help save you money and time!Can dryer vent cleaning be done by the homeowner with a kit? Yes, it is easy to clean a dryer vent at home with a kit. You can pick up a kit on Amazon for cheap and clean your dryer vent in under an hour.After years I had to replace my first dryer vent kit and I now use the Lint Lizard Dryer Vent Kit. You can see which kit I use here. Why is my dryer so slow to dry clothes? Your dryer vent can accumulate lint and over time this will clog your dryer and slow your drying time. Cleaning your dryer vent every 6 months or so will help keep your clothes drying fast and prevent a dryer fire. Can a dryer really cause a house fire? Yes, you should never run your dryer while you are sleeping or aren't at home. Dryers can easily cause house fires. By using a kit every 6 months to clean a dryer vent you can prevent a dryer fire and keep your dryer from overheating.Clean your home in under 30 minutes a day with this free weekly cleaning printableSuccess! Now check your email to claim your printable.« 8 Ways You Didn't Know You Could Use Bar Keepers FriendHow To Get Burnt Smell Out Of Microwave »P.S. For more cleaning tips and decluttering hacks delivered to your inbox subscribehere!Girl my dryer takes FOREVER and I have never cleaned it or the duct out, just the trap. You have inspired me to pick up my own kit - thank you!!!!Where can I purchase the dryer cleaning kit that you showed on your blog?Don't forget to also WASH the lint trap screen. Especially if you use softeners. Put it in the sink and slowly run a little water on it. If the water beads up and doesn't run straight through it but beads up on it it means you have a buildup of softener on it. If the water cannot get through it makes sense the airflow isn't getting through very well either. Put a little dish soap on the screen and gently scrub (both sides) with a soft brush or sponge. , then rinse the soap off. After the water will not bead up anymore and the dryer will have better airflow and not overheat.If you take the back off the dryer lint also gets stuck in the part were the air goes to vent hose I was amazed at how much was stuck in thereYes! I so need to do this again! Thank you for the reminder, Julie!Moved and the dryer didn't work so got a new one. To my surprise the new one didn't work either, and you know why.I cleaned out the vent as far as I could then used a powerful weed blower to blow out the rest, which was a lot.Our igniter went out and when my husband took the front of the dryer off to replace it the amount of lint in there terrified me! The lint was right by the flames too! I clean it out 1-2 times a year now by taking the front panel off (we have a front load washer and matching dryer) and vacuuming everything out really well.Please know that by cleaning this out, you are potentially saving lives from a massive fire in your home. As a fireman's daughter, this was drilled into me over and over again. Dryer fires happen more often than you may think.Happy Cleaning!My dryer is having the same problems, so I'm totally giving this a shot tomorrow. I have the feeling you just saved me a huge headache and hefty bill. Thanks for the wonderful tip!Wow. I consistently clean out my lint trap, but have been meaning to buy a kit and really have a go at my machine. Going to have to put that on the "to purchase" list for Amazon this month. Thanks for giving such a thorough run-down of the process!Another tip a dryer repair person told me. If you have an HE DRYER, inside the dryer right below the the lint trap (inside the dryer) is there is a little silver bar about 6-8 inches long. This is actually the sensor in the dryer and when it gets a film on it from dryer sheets it takes longer to dry as this is the mechanism that senses moisture in the clothes. Wipe a hot wet rag along the bar and remove any buildup, I was amazed at how much better my dryer workedHere is a step that I always take after the cleaning process you have so well described. When you have dryer vent off of where it connects to the wall, take an electric or battery operated blower and place it inside the vent going out. Get a small towel and stuff it around the gaps between the blower and the exhast pipe in the wall. Then during your blower on high for about 30 seconds. Then go on your roof or outside where your vent exits your house and prepare to clean up A LOT of lint that has been accumulating in the vent pipe.If your dryer isn't right next to the exterior wall where the vent exits the home, you may have a long vent duct run (could be as much as 20 feet). To clean this duct, take your yard blower and wrap a rag around the end. Remove the dryer vent from the wall vent, stuff the rag wrapped end of the blower into the wall vent and let if run for 2 to 3 minutes. This should clear out the vent for another year of care free clothes drying.I recently had a repair man come to fix my dryer because it was making an awful noise. Come to find out it was because the blower was packed full of lint. I couldn't believe it! I told him I use my lint brush and vacuum regularly in the lint trap to clean it. He said that by doing that it was actually pushing lint into the blower. He said not to do that anymore. He said just take the front of the dryer off and vacuum the whole inside really well every once in awhile.Life hack... use a paper towel cardboard roll as an attachment on the vacuum hose you can bend it kind of flat to reach the areas you want. Also works for car detailing, vacuuming under fridge and stove...and extention...My wife sent me this pin regarding cleaning our dryer trap. I had to chuckle because this is something I regularly do and she had no idea! Lol. Being a good sport, I read the pin anyways and would like to recommend one other area to clean that is often overlooked. The duct eventually vents to the outside of your home, either through a side wall or the roof. Be aware that this too can get clogged and can cause problems later on. Ours is on the roof, so once a year I have to climb a ladder and reach my hand (or more appropriately fingers) into a somewhat sharp metal vent. I will say if it is on the roof to be extra careful when heading to clean it out (or you can always send your husband, brother, dad if roof climbing isn't your thing. Lol). Most of the lint will accumulate at the lowest point (nearest to your dryer) but ensuring everything is clean is the best way to prevent fires. Cheers!One thing to remember is that "lint" is actually fibers coming off your clothing, sheets, towels and blankets. What this means, is that the process of drying actually shortens the useful life of clothing.As much as I can, I hang laundry to dry either outdoors or in my basement first. Then, I toss them in the dryer for a short, 5 or 10 minutes on low to soften and reduce wrinkles. This works especially well with jeans, which normally take a long time in the dryer.By doing this method, you save money several ways, the cost of gas and electricity using your dryer 100% of the time, and also the cost of replacing your clothing and linens so often.In the winter time, an added bonus is, hanging damp laundry in the house can add some much needed humidity to the air that tends to become uncomfortably dry from central heating!Why not just buy a new dryer vent hose?after cleaning out the lint trap , I disconnect the vent line, move the dryer over then take my leaf blower and run it in the outside vent and turn it on. You'll be surprised how much accumulation of lint you'll have.This is a great weekend task!Take the vent pipe outside and turn the garden hose on and wash the pipe out.Do any of you have a front loading washer? Anyone have tips on cleaning it? After a while it gets musty smelling my mother told me. I saw washer cleaning fluids at the grocery store, but seems there is more to it. Thanks y'all!Where did you get the kitI can't even get behind my dryer. Not enough room to move it forward .After reading this, I got curious &amp; decided to see how much lint I had in my dryer. I took a regular baby bottle brush to it, and OMG so much lint came out! It's disturbing how much it can hold! I'm also hoping this will help cut down on electric - our dryer uses the most energy in the apartment.Half a cup of white vinegar does an excellent job of softening clothes and it doesn't clog your dryer vent. It is also much cheaper and the wrinkles will fall out of your clothes if you hang them up while they are still slightly damp. You can prevent static cling by wadding up a piece of aluminum foil and putting it in your drr with the wet laundry. When it tumbles in the dryer, it forms a perfect sphere. It is also reuseable. Saves a bit of money and does 't add unnecessary perfumes into the air or water. Vinegar deodorizes the laundry and the washer, and helps prevent mold and/or mildew from forming on your clothes or in the washer. Wonderful stuff!

× This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.Is your dryer slow to dry? Check out how to clean your dryer vent. Save some time and money with dryer vent cleaning. See how to clean dryer vent! These DIY dryer vent cleaning tips will have you cleaning like a pro!I spent years not knowing that you needed to clean out your dry vent. I would clean the lint off of the lint trap when I put clothes in the dryer, but that was as far as I ever got.I have to admit, it never occurred to me that you would need to go any deeper into the dryer to clean it....

How To Clean Your Dryer Vent

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