Lint is fuel, and dryer venting is one of the few maintenance jobs where skipping it has real safety consequences.
Clothes dryers are a well-documented cause of household fires, and the leading factor in those fires is failure to clean. Lint accumulates where you cannot see it — in the transition hose, the wall duct and the exterior hood — and it burns readily.
Warning signs
- Cycles that take noticeably longer than they used to.
- The top of the dryer or the laundry room feeling unusually hot.
- A burning or scorched smell during a cycle.
- Little or no air movement at the exterior vent hood.
- Lint visible around the door seal or behind the machine.
How often to clean
The lint screen goes every load. The full vent line should be cleared at least once a year, and every six months for a large household, a long duct run, or if you dry pet bedding and heavy towels regularly.
Do it properly
Unplug the dryer (or shut off the gas), pull it out, disconnect the transition hose and vacuum both ends. Use a rotary lint brush through the wall duct, then go outside and clear the hood — flaps stick open, birds nest, and screens installed over the outlet trap lint by design.
“If the exterior flap does not blow open when the dryer runs, your vent is blocked. That is the simplest test there is.”
Two things to fix while you are back there
Replace foil or vinyl flexible duct with rigid or semi-rigid metal, and shorten the run where you can. Every elbow and every extra metre reduces airflow, lengthens drying time and adds to your hydro bill.