This prevents lint build-up that can create a fire hazard.
Pull out the dryer as far as the vent pipe allows. Disconnect the vent pipe from the dryer, and clean the outlet hole in the back of the dryer with a shop vac or regular vacuum.
Clean the vent pipe with a dryer snake cleaning tool ($15 to $20). This is a rotary brush attached to a long cable. One end is fitted to the chuck of an electric drill that is used to rotate the cable and the brush.
1. Unscrew the exterior dryer vent cover
2. Feed the rotary brush into the vent opening, turning it on low speed
3. Feed the cable into the vent as far as it will go, then pull it back — don’t stop rotating the cable and brush
4. Repeat from the inside
5. Reconnect the vent, and turn on the dryer to flush the system of loose lint
6. Replace the exterior vent cover
Don’t use this tool on the flexible vent pipe sometimes used to connect the dryer to the vent wall outlet. Instead, remove the flexible pipe completely and use a vacuum with a narrow nozzle to clean out the pipe.
