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.
Table of contents
How To Clean A Dryer Vent Like A Pro
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.
To prevent fires and keep your dryer runny smooth check out these easy tips on how clean a dryer vent like a pro.
What You Will Need To Clean The Dryer Vent
- Vacuum (any kind will do)
- Dryer Vent Cleaner ( I have owned a few, but currently have this one)
- Microfiber Cloths
- All-Purpose Cleaner- The microfiber cloths and all-purpose cleaner is to clean the dryer afterward
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.
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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 by Step DIY Dryer Vent Cleaning
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 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.
Cleaning Dryer Vent Pipe
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!
Common Questions
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.
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.
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.
You can easily use a leaf blower to blow out the pipe from the dryer vent. Insert the leaf blower into the dryer vent duct leading to the outside and turn on the leaf blower. Allow it to blow for about 30 seconds. Turn it off and check outside to see if it has blow debris. You can continue to do this until it runs clean. It won't work as well as using the duct brush, but will work to keep it somewhat clean.
I recommend that you clean the dryer vent every 3-6 months. It is amazing how quickly you can start to accumulate debris in the dryer. Put this easy task on your quarterly list!
Wendy says
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...
Julie says
I will have to try that sometime. Thanks!
Briana says
So smart!! Thank you!
Tonya says
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.
Eric says
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.
Julie says
Great tip! Thank you for sharing.
Stewart S says
Here 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.
Jamie says
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 worked
Janeen says
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!
Melissa says
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!
Julie says
I hope it works. Let me know how it turns out.
Wanda McLean says
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!
Julie says
Your right, you could be stopping a potential fire. I have heard that dryers start even more fires than ovens! It's kind of scary, because while I would never leave the house with the oven on I used to leave the house with the dryer running. Ever since I started cleaning our dryer out I have been more intentional about only running it when I am home.
Jennifer says
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.
Julie says
It is very concerning how much lint can gather in there. I am amazed at how much I find after only 6 months.
Nancy says
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.
Julie says
I never thought of using a weed blower. I may have to try that. Thanks for the suggestion!
Penny says
Wow, great idea to blow-out the hose to the outside w/leafblower.
FABULOUS!
Jayleen says
Yes! I so need to do this again! Thank you for the reminder, Julie!
Rhonda says
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 there
malinda says
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.
Julie says
I haven't done this before. Thank you so much for the tip!
Carole says
You can also just put the lint trap screen in your dishwasher. It does a fantastic job!
Julie says
Ohh! That sounds so easy! I will have to try that. Thanks!
Amy says
Just a note to be aware. The lint trap screen in some dryers is plastic mesh and could potentially melt from the dryer in the dishwasher. You may want to put it in the top rack to be safe. I know someone who had theirs melt and had to replace it.
Rachel R. says
Yes, people have had their heating elements burn out due to the lint filter's being all filmed over from softener sheets.
Deborah says
I have found that dryer sheets are the cause of my screen getting so much of that waxy buildup. Once I went back to liquid softeners the screen stays clean and porous.
Claire says
Where can I purchase the dryer cleaning kit that you showed on your blog?
Julie says
Hi Claire,
I can't find the exact kit anymore, but the link below is for one that is almost identical.
http://amzn.to/1rgZEHw
mary lou chandler says
We pulled my dryer out and cleaned it, then realized that the vent goes OUTSIDE. So we went out, and the cover was off, and inside it was a rat nest! nice and cozy and warm in the winter! EWWWWWWWW.. so with fishing pole in hand and a long vaccuum hose, we cleaned it all the way to the inside dryer wall. (about 6 feet. SOLID clog. no wonder it took 3 hours to dry my clothes.
Julie says
Eww! I am so glad you got it all cleaned out. Great thinking with the fishing pole!
Ana says
FYI, thanks to WikiBuy, it shows cheaper by $2 on Walmart.com.
Katie says
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!!!!