Signs your dryer vent needs cleaning

Eight warning signs

• Clothes take more than one cycle, or come out hot and still damp.
• The top of the dryer or the laundry room feels unusually hot.
• A burning or musty smell while the dryer runs.
• Outside, the vent flap barely opens, or there’s lint around the hood or roof cap.
• Lint collecting behind or under the dryer.
• A crushed or kinked hose behind the dryer, or a white vinyl or foil hose.
• Birds or nesting material at the outside vent.
• It’s been more than a year, or you don’t know when it was last cleaned.

Why it matters: the fire data

The U.S. Fire Administration estimates about 2,900 clothes dryer fires in homes each year, causing about 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss. Failure to clean was the leading factor, at 34%. Dust, fiber and lint were the most common things to catch fire first, and these fires peaked in January.

Lint builds up fastest in long runs, runs with several turns and vents that exit through the roof. That’s common in two-story homes and townhomes across DFW.

What you can do between cleanings

• Clean the lint screen before or after every load, as CPSC advises.
• Use rigid or semi-rigid metal duct behind the dryer, not plastic or foil, and keep it short and straight.
• Don’t run the dryer when you leave the house or go to bed.
• Check the outside hood a few times a year to make sure the flap opens freely.

How often to have it cleaned

Most homes do well with a cleaning once a year. Big families, long or roof vents, and homes where the dryer runs every day may need it more often. Our free reminders can tell you when it’s due.

How we clean a dryer vent

We brush the full run all the way to the outside hood or roof cap, not just the first few feet behind the dryer. Then we check airflow and send you before-and-after photos. See our dryer vent service.