How to Clean Out a Dryer Vent

Written By: Mary Lindsey

Comments: 5

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

Time Required

15 - 40 minutes

Introduction

Many dryers are connected to a dryer vent, which takes the heat and moisture from the dryer and sends it outside the house. When this vent gets clogged, it keeps the dryer from working properly and can leave the user with damp clothes. A clogged dryer vent can also be a fire hazard.

Home owners should clean out their dryer vent at least once a year.

Tools

Step 1

Pull your dryer away from the wall and disconnect the dryer vent from the wall.
Make sure your dryer is not running before removing vent cover.
In this case, there was one screw connecting the vent to the wall.
Simply remove the screw and pull the vent from the wall.

Step 2

Find where the dryer vent exits the house and remove the cap or covering on the vent.
There were no screws holding the vent cap down and could be pulled straight off.

Step 3

Connect the main cleaning brush extension to the end of a drill.
Insert the cleaning extension into the vent and run it down the vent by pulling the trigger of the drill.

Obviously the “main cleaning brush” comes in the “dryer vent cleaning kit” but the link above does not work. Recommendations for such kits?

Chadmitchell -

You should be able to find a dryer cleaning kit at any home improvement store, such as Lowe’s or Home depot. Here is a link to the one I used: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Deflecto-12-Foo...

Mary Lindsey -

Step 4

Add extensions to the end of the drill by disconnecting the main cleaning brush from the end of the drill.
Next, connect an extension to the drill mouth and screw the other end onto the main cleaning brush.

Step 5

Keep adding and running the extensions down the vent with the drill.
You will feel that the extensions can go no farther when it hits the end of the vent.
In this case, you can see the cleaning brush coming out on the other end of the vent.

Step 6

Pull the cleaning extensions back out by continuing to run your drill in the same direction and pulling backwards.
If you reverse your drill, the extensions could unscrew and get stuck in your dryer vent.
Unscrew and remove the extensions from the drill one by one as you pull the cleaning brushes out.

Step 7

Clean up all lint and soot that came out of the vent on the inside of your house.
Leaving the lint underneath your dryer can be a fire hazard.

Step 8

Use a shop vac from the outside vent to remove any loose lint left behind in the vent.

Even better than a shop vac to suck out the lint, use one of those leaf blowers that doubles as a vacuum. And like the note in red says, DO NOT reverse your drill motor- you can probably guess how I came by that bit of advice.

Bob Fankhauser -

Conclusion

Reconnect the vent inside and put the vent cap back on outside.

Author

Mary Lindsey

Member since: 22/09/21

400 Reputation

2 comments

If you discover the hose is aluminum foil or white plastic type and your unsure the age remove it from both ends and take it outside. Take a small torch to it to be certain its not the old fake China made plastic foil or a flammable hose they sent here yrs ago. Most home stores sold it for a long time before it being discovered!

Idk when it appeared but about 2013 I first seen those warnings on tv? Of course my home had it too.

Stuffs burnt up several homes over the yrs. Youtube has vids showing it burning really easy.

I started using all tin after seeing it because if fire ever starts inside one you need it contained in the dryer/hose till it dies or spits it out the vent. That hose is out there folks so make time to check yours, especially older foil type.

Google-

Dryer hose safety burn test foil plastic.

That will get you started to vids/learning. Dont let weeds grow tall around an outside dryer vent either, another no no some just fail to think about.

Thanks

castlestoney -

Btw- I just bought this home 3yrs ago and for 20yrs the dummys never had a vent ran outside actually. Hose went through the floor here but thats all. Huge pile of lint in corner underneath this home. Unreal huh? So make sure your vent really goes outside. If your not sure, turn your dryer on and walk around outside, check vent for air blowing out.

Pretty sad I feel like I have to mention that one but?...lol

castlestoney -