How To Clean Lint From Inside Dryer

Linda (Kaywood) Bilyeu is a self-published author. Her books are available on Amazon. She writes from the heart—there is no other way.

Clothes Dryer Ducts Should Be Cleaned Often

The clothes dryer is a common cause of house fires. These home fires are easy to prevent with proper care and some basic maintenance. Not all dryer ducts are easily accessible, and you could hire a professional. You could also DIY, which is my preference.

I'm a Do-It-Yourself kind of person when it comes to maintaining my home. If I'm able to get 'er done while saving a few bucks, I'm all for it.

Recently, my clothes dryer was misbehaving and taking too long to dry a load of clothing. A normal load for my dryer takes about 45-50 minutes, not 3 hours. I knew there must be a problem.

I normally clean out the duct hose every 3-4 months, and I was on schedule. But we had been doing more laundry lately, so I checked out the duct hose. Wow, I had quite a surprise. I hit the mother lode with lint.

The same day on the other side of town, my niece's clothes dryer had caught fire. Luckily she was home and caught the fire in time. Ida's dryer fire happened very quickly, but she was able to catch it before the smoke alarms went off by using a fire extinguisher. She did call 911 and the firemen did come to evaluate the situation. Her dryer was sent out for repairs and returned a week later. Being without a dryer was a hassle, but nothing compared to a full blown fire.

I thought I would share what both my niece and I learned from our experiences to help save your dryer, power bill and, most importantly, your life and home.

How to Prevent a Dryer Fire

Linda Bilyeu

Prevent Dryer Fires by Being Vigilant

Just like any home appliance, treat it right and it will take care of your needs. Just like humans need occasional maintenance, so do your appliances. A bit of lube, some elbow grease, a dusting of coils, checking of circuits...just some simple tasks to do.

If your dryer duct goes out the back of the dryer towards the roof, chances are you will have more issues with lint being backed up. It takes a lot of work from the dryer to push that lint upwards. If your dryer's duct goes straight to the side of your house, chances are the lint won't be that much of an issue. In my previous house, the laundry room was in the garage, and the duct was behind the dryer but the vent went straight outside. I was in that house for 13 years and never had a lint issue. I didn't get that lucky in my present house. I have learned a lesson for my next house: Check the ventilation system for the dryer before proceeding with the purchase.

There could also be a trap at the end of the vent on the roof that lint could get trapped in, especially if it rains and the lint gets wet; wet lint tends to not move as quickly or at all. Small animals could also become trapped. So check the vent on the roof at least 3-4 times a year to make sure it's free-flowing.

Most fires happen when people are sleeping or not home. It's better to be safe than sorry. Do not run the clothes dryer on your way to sleep or on your way out the door. Be vigilant to prevent dryer fires.

How to Self Clean Your Dryer Duct/Vent

Clean the lint trap before each load of laundry is placed in the dryer. Granted, there won't be much lint, but by getting in the practice of doing this, you will never forget to clean the lint trap again.
You could purchase a lint brush to go deeper into the trap area which is usually located on top of the dryer. This brush helps to remove lint the trap missed.
Have a fire extinguisher handy, just in case. They do have expiration dates, so be sure you replace them as needed.
When the dryer begins to get sluggish, not drying as fast as it usually does it's time to clean out the duct hose. Pull out the dryer, remove the duct hose from the back of the dryer and the wall. Clean out or replace the duct hose, it should be replaced every 1-2 years.
I then use a leaf blower and insert it into the wall vent. A word of caution with a leaf blower. I use an electric one which is safe to use indoors. If you have a gas blower, use caution using it indoors. I have used one because my laundry room is very close to an outside door so I was able to air out the area quickly. I tightly place a small towel around the top of the blower to avoid a blast of lint in my face. Blow! Keep blowing! My wall vent goes up and the lint comes out on the roof. After you have done enough blowing, which is about 10-15 minutes off and on, securely replace the duct hose.
Never, ever push your dryer up to the wall and bend the duct hose (see aluminum tube above in my photo). By cutting off the air supply to the duct hose, the lint gets backed up and re-enters the dryer which causes a fire.
The duct hose must be open wide enough for the air and lint to freely flow through.
Small pieces of lint can build up inside your dryer. It usually burns itself out and never causes a problem. But at times it could cause a problem. Periodically have a licensed professional vacuum out the inside of your dryer. Or DIY.
Do not store items on top of your dryer. Do not store paper items or cleaning products near your dryer.

UPDATE: Two weeks after my lint incident, while mowing the lawn, I noticed clusters of lint underneath the drain spouts. While blowing the lint out through the roof vent, lint must have landed in the gutter. We had a few days of rain and presto...the lint was washed downwards.

Many of my neighbors use the leaf blower for self-cleaning of the dryer ducts. Some use a wet/dry vac. If you are not comfortable with the self-clean method, call a professional.

Just say no to dryer fires.

Dryer Fire Alerts!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Read More From Dengarden

Chitrangada Sharan from New Delhi, India on December 29, 2015:

A very useful and informative hub! It is so wise to periodically clean the dryer ducts and prevent fire. And this can be done without calling the professional as well.

Thanks for the reminder in this well presented hub!

Dianna Mendez on December 28, 2015:

Just had to read it again for the good advice!

Daisy Mariposa from Orange County (Southern California) on December 28, 2015:

Linda,

You have presented some very important information in this article. There are probably many people who do not realize how easily a fire can start. Thanks for the tips.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on March 03, 2015:

Good point, Dagwood. My foil flex duct is attached from the back of the dryer to the wall. It's very delicate too.

Power Vac Toronto from Toronto on March 03, 2015:

some good and valid points here on dryer duct cleaning here. One thing that you have to be very careful with is to make sure that you do not damage the foil flex duct that goes that may run from the way to the outside. When that happens it is possible that dryer lint and moisture may escape into the wall cavity.

http://powervac.ca/power-vac-toronto-gta

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 27, 2015:

HI Rick! I want to read your article! :)

Poetic Fool on February 26, 2015:

Hi Linda, great article! I actually wrote an article on this very subject elsewhere, pictures and all. Yours has reminded me that I'm due to do this very thing. Keep up the good work!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 21, 2015:

Hi ST, I'm glad I was able to offer you some advice! :)

social thoughts from New York on February 21, 2015:

This is great! Thank you. Oddly enough, I was 'just' concerned about this, last night. I wanted to be more informed. I'm glad you brought me to your attention by commenting on my articles!

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 18, 2015:

Amen, RT. No clothes dryers during sleeping hours!

RTalloni on February 18, 2015:

An important and useful post here! Thanks for highlighting the concerns. Makes one think twice about turning the dryer on at bedtime so items can be ready to put away the next morning! If given the opportunity to build a house or rework an existing floor plan it would be a good idea to insist on the shortest and straightest possible route for the dryer vent ductwork from machine to outdoors.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 07, 2015:

Dryer safety is a must for every household. Clothesline drying is much safer! :)

peachy from Home Sweet Home on February 06, 2015:

Good thing that we don't use a dryer at home, voted up

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on February 01, 2015:

I'm glad I was able to help share these tips and remind myself it's time to clean out my dryer ducts! :)

poetryman6969 on February 01, 2015:

Some handy safety tips. Thanks.

Eugene Brennan from Ireland on January 23, 2015:

Useful, voted up, tweeted and G plussed!

I never leave high powered electrical appliances such as washing machines, tumble driers, heaters or water heating appliances powered up when unattended. If there are any loose electrical connections, there is always the potential for fire.

Susie Lehto from Minnesota on January 19, 2015:

What a great reminder this hub is for everyone who has a cloths drier in their home. I will tweet about it and vote it up! Thank you Sunshine!

Patricia Scott from North Central Florida on January 19, 2015:

It is so important to know how to do this and to DO IT. I just cleaned the dryer at my daughter's; mine is in storage for a bit. It is too scary to think about coming home to a fire. I know of cases where people have left home with the dryer on and come home to a house totally engulfed.

Shared voted up g+ tweeted

Angels are on the way bringing many blessings. ps

Liz Elias from Oakley, CA on January 19, 2015:

Very well done. We had the dryer out just recently to get at the water hoses for the washer; they were 12 years old, and we thought those should be replaced before there was a problem.

While back there, I vacuumed out the dryer ducting. There really was not much in it. It goes from the back of the dryer out the side of the house, only a run of about 6 feet.

I'm more worried about what might collect under the lint trap (in the front, just under the door, on my dryer), where the slot is too small for the vacuum attachment to fit.

Voted up, interesting and useful.

Nell Rose from England on January 19, 2015:

Great info Linda, not something we would even think about, but so darn dangerous! I used to have a dryer, I just use the washing machine now, and put clothes out to dry properly or on the radiator hanger, I used to clean the lint from the filter like in the video, but would never have thought of the back pipe! great advice! voted and shared, nell

Devika Primić from Dubrovnik, Croatia on January 19, 2015:

I like your helpful tips and so easy to deal with. Voted up, interesting and useful.

Linda Bilyeu (author) from Orlando, FL on January 19, 2015:

Excellent addition WillStarr! My dryers heating element did burn out twice. Thank you for the reminder! :)

WillStarr from Phoenix, Arizona on January 18, 2015:

Like Shuana's son, I use a shop vac. I put the hose into the dryer duct and then seal the two together with duct tape (what else!).

But I've also used a leaf blower, and both work great.

BTW, if the vent gets plugged and you're using an electric dryer, the element will burn out.

Great Hub, Linda!