Clean out the dryer vent
Annual · typically January–February
Why it matters
The lint screen catches maybe 70% of what comes off your clothes. The rest goes down the duct, and it builds until the airflow chokes. Two signals you're already there: loads taking noticeably longer than they used to, and the top of the dryer running hot to the touch.
January is the right slot: winter loads are heavier, the dryer's working hardest, and it pairs with the once-a-year habit of pulling the machine out anyway.
What skipping it costs
$200–$15,000
Lint is kindling, and a dryer pushes hot air through a tube packed with it. U.S. fire departments respond to around 13,000 dryer fires a year, and nearly every one traces to a vent that hadn't been cleaned. The cheap version of neglect is a dryer that takes two cycles per load — about $200 a year in wasted electricity. The expensive version starts the laundry room on fire.
Two ways to get it done
Do it yourself
You'll need: Dryer vent brush kit (~$25, flexible rods that chuck into a drill), Vacuum, Screwdriver for the clamp.
- Unplug the dryer (gas dryer: also close its gas valve) and pull it from the wall.
- Loosen the clamp, pull the duct off the dryer, and vacuum both the duct opening and the port on the machine.
- Run the brush kit through the duct from inside, feeding rod sections as you go, spinning with the drill on low. Push the mess toward the exterior.
- Outside: pop the vent hood cover, pull the lint pile, confirm the flap opens freely and isn't painted or caulked shut.
- Reconnect, push the dryer back (don't crush the duct — that kink becomes next year's clog), and run an empty cycle. You should feel strong, warm airflow at the exterior hood.
- While it's pulled out: if your duct is white vinyl or thin foil flex, replace it with semi-rigid or rigid metal. Vinyl duct on a dryer is a fire code violation for good reason.
Hire it out
$100–$190National fair range — local labor moves this number.
A pro cleaning runs $100–$190 and is money well spent for long runs, second-story laundry, or roof-exit vents — they bring longer rods and negative-pressure equipment that a $25 kit can't match. Expect them to clean from both ends and show you the pile. The upsell to watch: "mold remediation" in a dryer duct. Lint, dust, even a musty smell — sure. A remediation-priced mold job in a tube that runs hot and dry with every load — get the photos and a second opinion before believing it.
Ask the tech
- Are you cleaning from both ends — inside and at the exterior hood?
- How much lint came out? (A photo of the pile is a normal ask.)
- Is my duct rigid metal or foil flex, and how long is the run?
Red flags you're being upsold
- A 'mold in your dryer vent' remediation pitch — lint, yes; a mold crisis, almost never.
- Quotes over $300 for a standard single-run cleaning with ground-level exterior access.
- Anyone who won't replace a crushed foil-flex section for a reasonable parts-plus-labor price while they're right there.
The call
DIY it if your vent run is short and reachable; hire it for long runs, roof exits, or if the last cleaning was 'never.'