Like the great Joni Mitchell once said, ‘We don’t know what we have till it’s gone’. That goes for much more than the great people in our lives. Unfortunately, our dryers often break because of the lack of deep cleanings. Now most people don’t know that you should clean your dryer vent at least once a year. And this isn’t talking about the little basket that, in some dryers, collects the lint from one load of clothes. This is talking about the silver tubing that runs to the outside of your humble abode.

You may want to clean your dryer vents several times a year, depending on your:

  • Family size: The more loads you wash, the more often you need to clean your dryer vents.
  • Pet situation: Pet hair and fur cause dryer vents to get clogged much more quickly than those in pet-free homes.
  • Types of laundry: Bulky items like towels, blankets, and fleece clothing also cause dryer vents to get clogged more quickly.
  • Frequency of buying clothes: New clothes produce more lint than clothes that have been laundered many times.

How to Clean Dryer Lint Traps and Drums

Dryer Filter

Let’s tackle the easiest chore first. The dryer filter. Now, most of us know that you’re supposed to clean your dryer filters after every use, but your filter may be clogged if you use fabric softer sheets in the dryer. Test your filter by clearing it of any visible lint, then pour a small amount of water onto the screen over a sink. If the water gathers together instead of running through smoothly, then you’ll want to take some warm, soapy water and a scrub brush and clean it by hand. At this point, you can retest your filter to see if it is clean. If the water flows through smoothly, then you know it is completely clean.

The Drum

The dryer drum usually doesn’t need much cleaning unless you’ve dried a load of hairy pet items or grimy, gritty play clothes. In those cases, you should try to shake as much hair and grime off of the items as much as possible before washing and drying them. After the load is done, you should clean out the drum with a damp cloth to remove any remaining hair and grit.

Debris

If you notice that lipstick, gum, or crayons are in your dryer, it’s OK to take a second and scream. Once you calm down, you should follow the advice from Debra Johnson, national cleaning expert, “Get the stuff off by warming the dryer for a few minutes. You can toss in a couple old towels or rags first. Remove the excess by scraping it off with a hard rubber spatula. Tackle the remaining residue by wiping the area with a cloth dampened with a small amount of laundry detergent and hot water. Use a dry cloth to remove any excess water or suds.

Vents

Dryer vents accumulate highly flammable lint, and failure to clean out lint is the leading cause of dryer fires. According to the National Fire Prevention Agency, more than 15,000 dryer fires occurred in the U.S. in 2010. A plugged dryer vent can also burn out the heating element of a dryer.

An obvious sign that a dryer vent needs to be cleaned is clothes taking much longer to dry. Another telltale sign that your dryer is obstructed is if the external cabinet or the control area is getting hotter than usual. If this happens you should disconnect the dryer and check your vent.