How often should you clean your dryer vent? Clean the dryer vent once a year. Clean it more often if there is more lint or debris. The time between cleaning a dryer vent varies between various households.
Cleaning comes once a year if there is no extra dust, lint, or item that sticks with clothing and clogs up the dryer vent. Increase how often you clean the dryer vent twice a year as a large amount of washing creates more debris and lint from the dryer.
Adjust it properly while cleaning, and there is dust or lint buildup. So, read on further how often you should clean your dryer vent.
How Often You Should Clean Your Dryer Vent & Why?
So, how often should you clean your dryer vent? You should clean it once a year. Well, try reading how often to clean a dryer vent. My friends, there are reasons to convince you of cleaning a dryer vent. Some of them may be obvious, and some you have not even thought about. Two of these reasons boil down to efficiency and safety. The lint that builds up in a dryer causes blockages and issues with the dryer.
#1. Safety
Lint is so flammable that when exposed to something combustible it can catch fire. One study showed that sixteen thousand homes were caught on fire because of washing machines, from 2010 to 2014. Almost fifty percent of the fires were due to fabric, and twenty-seven percent were due to fiber, dust, or lint.
#2. Dryer efficiency
Debris or lint that builds up the dryer vent blocks the hot expulsion as this sometimes goes unnoticed but eventually continues over time. If the air does not remove itself, the humid air goes back into the machine. Clothes dry slowly if you do not remove the moisture. Longer cycles occur in the automatic dryer with moisture sensors. In a timed dryer, clothes only end up not drying completely. With better efficiency, there is less time required in doing laundry and lower consumption of energy.
Warning Signs To Clean The Dryer Vent
There are warning signs that you need to clean the dryer vent:
- Clothes are taking longer to dry
- If it’s already a year already
- Burning or smoky smell comes from the clothes or dryer
- The laundry room becomes more humid or hotter than after you dry clothes
- You smell something just inside the laundry room
- The dryer exterior is hot when touched
Ways To Clean The Dryer Vent
Here are the ways how to best clean the dryer vent:
- Remove dirt from the lint trap
- Scrub the area in the lint trap using a dryer brush
- Use vacuum in cleaning it out
- Get the vent disconnected from a dryer
- Remove lint in the dryer or vent connection using your hand
- Vacuum the vent inside and around
- Get the vent cover removed
- Get the vent cover inspected for wear and tear
- Clean the dryer vent of any dirt, buildup, animals, leaves, and more
- Brush out dirt or lint
- Get it tested to be sure of its solid connection
Tools To Help You Clean Your Dryer Vent
Below are the tools to help you clean your dryer vent:
- Remove the lint inside a dryer vent with a leaf blower. But first, remove the covering or dryer vent that causes a huge mess. Capture the lint expelled with a leaf bag.
- Utilize a long attachment in a vacuum hose to remove dirt inside a dryer. Wider vacuum hoses cannot fit the tiny areas in a dryer. So, buy a product or duct-tape the hose to a vacuum to work better.
More Valuable Tips To Clean A Dryer Vent
Keep the dryer vent clean to limit the times of cleaning it. Here are valuable tips to consider in mind.
#1. Using straight vent type of pipes
Use some flexible type of tubing to extend it and rout it easily around corners. The tubing features an accordion form to create more surfaces that the dust and lint can grab. Every bend can break up the flow of air even more.
#2. Shortening the vent pipes
Keep the flow of air pressure more consistent with the shorter distance required for air to pass to its final destination from the dryer. That helps reduce the space of the vent you will clean.
#3. Ensuring dryer sheets are not present
Dryer sheets can bring in various issues with a dryer vent. Dryer sheets are separated in clothes and trapped inside a lint filter. However, they are unpredictable and thin and caught in the vent hood, and the vent itself. The dryer sheets also create film through lint filters after a long time. Test this as you pour a small amount of water into a lint filter. Water that flows in the filter means everything is okay; however, if it does not continue through, wash the filter out using water and soap.
It’s A Wrap!
Now you learn how often should you clean your dryer vent, which should be once a year. Clean it more often if there is more lint or debris. The time between cleaning a dryer vent varies between various households. So, take time to adjust the cleaning of the dryer vent! I guess it’s helpful to read about how to clean dryer vent hose and how to tell if your dryer vent is clogged.