How to clean dryer vents

As a home inspector, one of the items I always recommend to home owners is to make sure you have clean dryer vents. More often than not the dryer vent is filled with lint and is in need of a serious cleaning. This is understandable though since most people assume the lint screen in the dryer catches all of the lint but this is simply not the case. It is estimated that around 3000 homes each year catch fire due to dryers with the dryer vent being the main cause. The reason for this is because lint is actually highly flammable and the buildup of heat could cause it to catch fire. A few signs that you do not have clean dryer vents are:

• Clothes are taking longer to dry than they used to
• The vent damper does not open when the dryer is operating
• Your clothing and the outside of the dryer are very hot
• Burning smell
• Your last cleaning was well over a year

Dryer vent cleaning is actually very quick and easy for the average home owner to perform. If you have access to a drill and the back of the dryer its a 15 minute job. All you have to purchase is a vent cleaning kit which runs around $15 at your local hardware store. These kits typically come in 12ft lengths so if you have a vent that discharges on the roof you may need to clean the dryer vent from both ends. Its helpful to have a vacuum ready to catch all the lint as it starts to come out of the vent. Next simply follow the instructions on the cleaning kit and your dryer vent will be clean in no time. If you do this once a year as part of a home maintenance program you can help protect your home from fires and extend the life of your dryer.

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