Lint screen every load, duct yearly
Clean the lint screen before or after every load, and clean the full vent duct from the dryer to the outside at least once a year. Do it sooner if clothes are taking longer to dry, feel unusually hot at the end, or the dryer shuts off mid-cycle.
Lint is startlingly flammable, and the lint screen does not catch all of it. What gets past collects in the vent duct, chokes the airflow, and turns a routine appliance into one of the more common causes of house fires. The good news is that the fix is a brush and 45 minutes once a year.
Between cleanings, let the dryer tell you. Clothes that need two cycles, a load that comes out hot, or a dryer that quits partway are all signs the vent is clogging and it is time to clean it early.
How to do it
- Unplug the dryer, or shut off the gas valve on a gas model, before disconnecting anything. Do not skip this.
- Pull the dryer away from the wall to reach the duct at the back.
- Disconnect the duct from the dryer outlet and from the wall.
- Run a dryer-vent brush kit through the duct in short in-and-out strokes, working from the dryer end toward the outside.
- If the run is long, also brush inward from the exterior vent cap.
- Vacuum the loosened lint from the duct, from behind the dryer, and from the dryer's exhaust port.
- If your duct is plastic or foil accordion type, replace it with rigid or semi-rigid metal, which does not trap lint in its folds.
- Reconnect the duct securely, push the dryer back, restore power or gas, and run a cycle to confirm warm air flows freely at the outside vent.
Common mistakes
- Cleaning only the lint screen and assuming the duct is fine. The screen catches most lint, but the rest collects in the duct over time.
- Using plastic or foil accordion duct. Both CPSC and NFPA guidance recommend rigid or semi-rigid metal instead.
- Running the dryer while you are asleep or out of the house. Safety guidance is to turn it off when you leave or go to bed.
This is exactly the kind of thing that is easy to know and easy to forget. Adulting can put it on a cadence so it surfaces when it is next due, instead of when something goes wrong. Free to start.
Sources
Questions people ask
- How do I know the duct needs cleaning before a year is up?
- The tells are loads taking two cycles to dry, the clothes or dryer top feeling very hot, or the dryer shutting off partway through, which is a thermal-overload safety trip from restricted airflow.
- Is this really a fire risk?
- Yes. Lint is highly flammable and vent buildup blocks airflow, which is a leading cause of dryer fires. On gas dryers a blocked vent can also push carbon monoxide back inside.