Safety First. Remember to unplug, trip the breaker, and/or shut off the gas if applicable to any appliance prior to servicing. 

Clothes Dryers: Gas or Electric
Keeping your dryer clean and free of lint and debris is critical for the unit to function correctly and last as long as possible. A clean dryer is also a safe dryer. We’ve all heard statistics regarding fires caused by dryers. The sad truth is these fires are preventable with regular maintenance practices. We often hear customers state a dryer takes two or three cycles to dry their clothes. There can be electrical or mechanical failures that cause this condition but frequently this is due to a dirty dryer or dryer vent. All modern dryers are equipped with safety features that prevent the dryer from operating if the vent is completely plugged. Your vent can be partially clogged, and this will cause the dryer not to dry properly but the dryer will still run. 

What Can You Do? 
Once a month check to make sure your dryer is venting well outside. Locate the exit location. Feel that there is quite a bit of air coming out. Inspect that any anti-vermin devices are in working order. Check for any obstruction. If it is not venting correctly get it cleaned immediately.

Most obviously, clean your lint screen after each load. Monthly wash and thoroughly dry the lint screen. Ensure that if equipped with one, the lint screen seal or felt is in tack and sealing as it should. Not all screens have seals. 

Secondly, once a month you should vacuum out the cavity around the lint screen. There are many different designs of dryers, some are easier to clean than others. We recommend using a thin brush and at minimum your crevasse attachment on the vacuum to get inside this area to get it thoroughly cleaned. There are many kits you can also purchase just for this. These kits are a cheap and great investment plus they work great. The bottom line is getting all the lint out you can. You would be surprised at how much gets passed the lint screen. You’d also be surprised what can slip through a dryer and get into the inside. So, gentlemen, when your wife tells you to empty your pockets before putting your clothes in the laundry, she means it! We have found an array of items in dryers. We’ve even completed service calls to retrieve credit cards out of dryers. We keep several jars at the store full of interesting items found in dryers. 

The following suggestions require a bit of skill, but some can be completed easily, or you can always call an appliance technician and a duct cleaning company to do the work.

Disconnect the power source from the dryer. Pull the unit out and inspect the vent leaving the dryer. Replace it if damaged. You can remove the vent from the dryer to the wall where it fastens to the duct. Thoroughly clean it. You can purchase specialized brush kits if it is very long. Side note—the vent should be just long enough to go from the dryer to the duct in the shortest path possible keeping bends to a minimum. 

Next vacuum out the short tube, that is the dryer, where the vent attaches. A small brush and vacuum can do this easily.

The duct that goes to the exterior of the house needs to be cleaned. This should be done yearly. If you have a lot of pets or do a lot of laundry it wouldn’t hurt to clean the duct twice a year. Note, the duct should exit the home! The duct should not vent to a basement or attic. If you live in a mobile home, the duct should be routed out the skirting or through a wall. In a mobile home, the dryer should never be vented underneath or just straight down a hole behind the dryer. Some ducts are very short and can be cleaned easily, others require special tools and equipment. Again, the duct should take the straightest route to exit the house. 

We recommend deep cleaning, inspection, and general preventive maintenance of dryers every two years. If you’re handy, you can watch videos on how to do this and complete it yourself. Some newer dryers can be difficult to disassemble and reassemble but I will leave that up to you. The best advice is to have a professional do this type of work as they know what to look for and do what is best for your machine. Remember to reattach all parts securely and make sure the dryer is venting well outside when you are done.

Enjoy Life, Hug your Family, And God Bless Chillicothe…Tim