DRYER VENT CLEANING

Cleaning the dryer vent inside your laundry room can be a big project these days if you want to take the time to do maintenance work on your home. Lint buildup in the dryer or exhaust duct can cause a fire. Lint can clog airflow, increase heat buildup, and, in the worst-case scenario, start fires. The most common cause of home fires is clogged dryer vents. As such, cleaning projects should be done at least once a year. It should take no more than a couple of hours to complete.

You will require the following items:

  1. Electric tape
  2. Broom and dustpan
  3. Drying Duct Cleaning Kit
  4. Drill

The first step is to disconnect your dryer from all of its accessories: unplug it from the power source, close the gas valve if your dryer uses this element, and do all of this before disconnecting the upper duct.

After you’ve cleared the duct, use a hose attachment on your vacuum to suck up everything around the vent opening to get deeper into the duct.

However, the duct’s greater length than the vacuum’s does not completely clean the area, so you’ll need a duct cleaning kit for dryers with flexible rods that allow you to reach up to 12 feet inside the vent tube.

These attachments are designed to connect to each other, but you can reinforce their bond by taping them together. When you’ve finished connecting the rods, you’ll use a medium-powered electric drill to help you with the rotating operation for better cleaning.

While leaning on the drill, slowly move forward and out to clean, gradually removing the rods to completely clean the conduit.

Another important point to remember is that the drill must be turned counterclockwise or the rod will be disassembled.

You can follow the same procedure as previously, but this time work your way in from the outside to strengthen the cleaning especially if your ventilation system’s output is close to the ground.

You sweep and gather all of the dust that will eventually exit the duct once you’re done.

Use this chance to thoroughly clean the walls and flooring behind your dryer to improve the area’s hygiene.

With the satisfaction of a job well done and, more importantly, the knowledge that there are fewer risks of a deadly accident, you may finally put your dryer back together and re-connect it to gas and electricity.

The highest fire threat in a home is a clothes dryer, primarily because of lint buildup in the dryer pipe and a lack of duct and airway cleaning. Many of these fires can be avoided with proper dryer vent cleaning, also known as dryer duct cleaning.

The drying time of a dryer might be increased by up to three times or more due to clogged dryer ducts.

Utility costs can be considerably decreased by cleaning, and future dryer repairs can be avoided.

Along with the lint filter, the dryer chassis, the area around it, and the ductwork that expels dryer lint all gather dust and lint. 

Even though there are a ton of DIY instructions for cleaning and repairing dryer vents online, it will be safer and more useful to hire a professional when you realize the situation is way out of your league. Anything you try can end up hurting you or making the situation worse.