Cleaning Your Dryer Vent
Cleaning your dryer vent is not something we normally think about, but it is something we should do about every six months and certainly not less than once a year, depending on how often you use your dryer.
As women, we tend to let minor chores intimidate us. Don’t let that happen; a clogged vent could be a dangerous situation. A clogged vent could cause a fire at the worst, and at the best, a clean vent can save you money on your electric bill and dry your clothes faster.
A sure sign that your vent needs to be cleaned is that it takes longer and longer to dry a load of laundry. A load of, say eight to ten towels, should not take more than an hour to dry. If it takes longer, your vent is probably clogged with lint.
The first thing to check is the dryer’s lint screen. Wipe it clean of any lint trapped on it after every load. Occasionally you should check to see if it is clogged with residue from your softener sheets. Take your filter to the sink and run water over it. If water pills up and runs off instead of running through your screen, then it is clogged with residue. Gently scrub the screen with dishwashing soap and rinse. Let it dry and re-insert it into your dryer. Run your next dryer load. If drying time is still longer than usual, the culprit is most likely your vent.
Pull your dryer away from the wall by gently “walking” it away. Pull one side a few inches, then the other a few inches, repeat until it is far enough away from the wall for you to get behind it. Now unplug the dryer.
You will need pliers (the tool that looks like scissors with flat surfaces) and either a Phillips head screwdriver (looks like a plus sign) or a flat edge screwdriver. Your dryer hose will look like an accordion that stretches long-ways as needed. Look to see how it is attached to your dryer. A metal ring that bends at right angles at the point that the ring would normally be welded shut attaches most. Kind of like two fingers crossing. You simply squeeze the bent angles together (using a pliers). Squeezing the ring will enlarge it so that you can slip it off the rim sticking out from your dryer. It could also be held on by a strip of metal with little slots in it. There is a screw that tightens or loosens this strip as you turn it. Choose the screwdriver that fits the screw and loosen it. When this is loose, the ring will slide off; keep it slipped over the hose for reattaching it later.
Look inside your dryer tube (the rim sticking out where you just removed the hose). It is probably clean but if it is not, vacuum it out. Next collapse the hose (close up the “accordion”) and vacuum it out. This is probably where most of the lint and dirt is. You may need to replace the hose if it is cracked or worn. A new one is available at Wal-Mart type stores for under $15.00.
Now that the hose is cleaned out, you need to check the connection at the wall. Some dryers vent to the outside in a tube located very near your dryer. Cleaning this area is a bit trickier. Some tubes are bent, making it harder to insert cleaning tools. Use your vacuum hose by removing any attachments and slipping the vacuum hose into the wall tube as far as it will go. It helps to pull the hose out and then back in again to scrape off any lint that has attached itself to the wall of this tube. You may also have to go outside and do the same thing from the other direction. There will probably be a little plastic covering with flaps covering the outside opening of this tube. This is there to help prevent mice, etc. from entering your home and chewing through the dryer hose. Just remove any screws that hold it on and keep track of them. If you have a brush that is attached to a flexible handle, you can try pushing it through the tube also. Pull it out a few times to remove any lint packed on it. If you can get your vacuum cleaner outside you can try vacuuming the tube up as far as you can go. Now put the plastic cover back on.
You are now ready to put the dryer hose back onto the wall tube and then your dryer. Check the hose for any tears, it may be possible to trim that section off and still use the hose. Slip the connection rings back onto the hose, and then slip the end of the hose onto the wall tube. You should accordion up an inch or so of hose onto the tube, and then slide the ring onto the tube. This usually takes a bit of doing; loosen the screw a bit more if you need to. When you get it on, firmly tighten the screw that tightens the ring. If you have the type of ring that squeezes open, do the same thing. Slip the ring onto the hose, and then slide the hose on, plus an inch or so. This is a bit tricky too, but you can do it; squeeze the ring open and slide it onto the rim, release and snug it up as far as you can onto the rim.
Whew, you are almost done! Climb back out to the front of your dryer. Now you want to “walk” the dryer back in place. Stop every few inches and peek over the back to check that you are not squishing the accordion tube flat. You want air to be able to move through it. Most of the time it will snug up to the wall on its own, if not, you will need to pull the dryer back out and move the accordion tube (gently) with a broom handle to get it where you need it.
Now, proudly plug your dryer back in and give yourself a pat on the back for saving yourself some money.
