How to SUPER CLEAN Your Dryer and Dryer Vents!

In this video, I super clean my dryer and vent pipes. Lint can be a big fire hazard and can affect the performance of your dryer and in extreme cases even break your dryer. You will be very surprised to see how much lint makes it past the lint trap... so it is a good idea to clean your dryer and vents once in a while. In a previous video, I resecured the vent pipes with aluminum foil tape and also added a hose clamp to the connection to the dryer, between that project and this one I increased the air flow which will give the exhaust and lint that made it past the lint trap a better chance to make it outside where it belongs.

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Videos produced by The Fixer are provided for informational purposes only. All material provided within this video is for informational, educational, & entertainment purposes only. Some of these projects, materials, and techniques may not be appropriate for all ages or skill levels. Please use all safety precautions while following any instructions or concepts provided by this video. Viewers must be aware that by doing projects on their homes they are doing it at their own risk and The Fixer cannot be held liable if they cause any damage to their homes. It is the sole responsibility of the viewer to educate themselves on their local codes and regulations before undertaking any sort of project. Always have safety in mind and have fun!

[GraeMatterz]

While in college back in the 80s, I had a job working in a laundromat. One of the first tasks the owner trained me to do was to REALLY clean the dryer vent screens. He walked up to a random dryer that wasn't being used and pulled out the screen, which had been cleared of lint. He asked me if I thought it was clean. I said yes. He then walked it over to the utility sink and filled the screen up with water. It was completely clogged with fabric softener residue. If it will hold water then air won't pass thru it. He scrubbed the screen with a stiff bristle brush and detergent, then rinsed it and water went straight thru it. This task needed to be done once a week at the laundromat and is hardly ever done with home machines.

He also taught me that the worst thing you can use in either the washer or the dryer is fabric softener. The way dryer sheets work is the heat of the dryer melts and atomizes the fabric softener, which then transfers not just to the clothes but every surface exposed to the heated air. He also showed me the back of the big commercial dryers, which looked like they had a coating of shellac over all of the guts of the dryer with lint stuck in it, including the motor, heating element, etc. (There were also several dryer sheets that had "disappeared" from the drum and were littering the guts of the dryer.) He said that he wished fabric softener had never been invented as it was shortening the life of his machines. (I've seen corroborating videos here on YT from appliance repairers who routinely find washers/dryers on the side of the road "free" and in most cases the washers were gummed up with fabric softener. After being cleaned, the washers work fine and they sell them.)

The owner explained to me why people think they need fabric softener: It's because they use too much detergent (even when going by the detergent manufacturers' instructions, which insure they sell more soap). People equate suds with clean, so more suds means cleaner, right? Not so much. The detergent that is in the water is what cleans the clothes, not the suds. He explained what happens when too much detergent is used: The dirt rides up on top of the suds, which float on the surface of the water. During the rinse cycle the dirty water drains out from the bottom, then the suds and the dirt are deposited back on the clothes, and the rinse spray breaks up some of the remaining suds leaving some suds behind along with the dirt. (If you've ever pulled something out of the washer and found white powdery streaks on the clothes, it's suds and dirt residue that didn't get rinsed out. Part of that dirt is skin cells.) That residue makes clothes feel stiff and crunchy. Fabric softener doesn't remove the residue but instead coats it to make it seem softer. Over time, that residue builds up, even to the point of making clothes measurably heavier.

He taught me to use half the detergent recommended and to use white vinegar instead of liquid fabric softener. It works thru chemistry: Soap is a base and vinegar is an acid, so adding vinegar to the rinse cycle neutralizes the soap (don't add it to the wash cycle for that reason). It also works with hard water to neutralize it. If vinegar smell is a concern, it dissipates in the dryer or the washer can be set to add an extra rinse for those items that need to be air dried. Even so, the vinegar smell really isn't that strong and it dissipates naturally in a day or two.

Based on this info, I haven't used fabric softener in the rinse cycle and no dryer sheets ever since. (I used to use about a tablespoon in the wash cycle as a defoamer only to eliminate suds but haven't needed to do that since I started making my own detergent with Washing Soda, Borax and Castile soap, equal parts mixed in a food processor after shredding the bar soap into flakes. I use a 2 tablespoon scoop per load.) That way I don't have to worry about fabric softener gumming up my clothes and shortening the life of my machines.

If you've made it this far, thank you for coming to my TED talk!

[duenge]

Who doesn't like a fireman story? I am a retired Fire Marshal. Build up in duct work is a real hazard! I have been to several house fires that determined the dryer wasn't venting properly. Flexible ductwork is crap, and should be avoided at all costs. By not venting the heat, it can do damage to the plastic dryer parts, like the squirrel cage blower assemblies. Secondly, and this is hard to believe, but I have seen it twice, improper venting can cause the laundry to actually burn. Once in a restaurant that washed their own laundry, hot towels were removed and folded, and placed on a table in the restaurants basement. An hour later, someone smelled something burning. they found the folded towels smoldering. This was from a household type dryer. The other came from the laundry room of the county jail, using commercial grade equipment. The ductwork was rectangular, steel approximately 10''x14" in size, with an approximate 20' horizontal run. An inmate removed the kitchen towels and aprons to a basket and left it on the table, and left the room. Later a guard went into the room and sniffed for the burning smell. Finding nothing, our department was called. Our guys sniffed around, and eventually discovered the basket was the source. When I arrived to investigate, the items had been laid out on the pavement and wetted. Several items had completely burnt through. Opening the duct near the dryer, this duct was at least 90% occluded. There were no cleanout access points. Staff had no recollection of it ever being cleaned. I red-tagged the system until it could be professionally cleaned. Don't ignore your ductwork.

[erikhy]

I just cleaned my dryer ducts with a leaf blower and the dryer itself as you showed. The big discovery, other than the hazmat zone under the appliances, was that the duct work inside the walls had become disconnected at some time in the last 50 years, and that the wall cavity was full of lint, making a nice fire trap. Funny how simple projects blossom into truly disgusting day-long expeditions. I feel like a proctologist for appliances now. Thanks for the great info. Your video may have saved my house from burning down.

[vibesonly]

I found this video by accident, so happy I did! I know my dryer vent needs to be cleaned, but too expensive to pay someone for a rental apartment. I knew that there had to be something to clean your ducts yourself, thank you for posting this video. My ex-husband and I lost our home to a fire and it is still traumatic enough that I always worry about possible fire hazards. When I was a teenager we had a dryer fire due to vent duct to outside never cleaned. The fire department were throwing towels out on the front lawn and all the neighbors were watching. My mom was thanking God that it wasn't the previous load, all her underwear and bras would have been on the front lawn! We ended up with a new dryer and the management company of the apartment complex cleaned the dryer vent to the outside. I ❤️ YouTube for this reason, so many DIY videos have saved me tons of money as a single Mom.

[bc-guy]

Thank you, for NOT having a long intro, banner, title shoot... I'm new - I like your get-to-it attitude and I think this could help save tons of house fires. I'm subscribed now and like it!

[thomasfirby]

I am so glad I accidentally saw this video. I was watching videos of a new compact leaf blower and when it ended, there were suggested videos to watch and luckily this was one of them. My dryer duct is horizontal to the outside vent and is only 18" long. I always make sure the mesh screen is cleaned of lint, but at the suggestion of a commenter, I used soapy water and a brush to thoroughly clean it. Then I went outside to look at the outlet vent and it had a bunch of lint that I was able to remove with my fingers and a vacuum with a crevice tool. I noticed that the flap door was stuck wide open and I used a long screwdriver to remove more lint that was keeping the flap from closing. I also attached a small diameter hose to the vacuum to go into ducting to suck out any existing lint. I could see inside the duct with my flashlight and it was really clean. I turned the dryer on to test it, and the flap opened properly and when I turned the dryer off, the flap closed properly. I just wanted to thank the creator of this video. You might have prevented a fire and saved my home for me.

[avivat]

The two tutorials on fixing the problem of residual dryer lint are amazing! Just watching someone run through the process helps immensely. It's such an important part of home upkeep. You will probably keep someone's house from burning down.Thank you!

[bosoares]

It's amazing how much lint gets lots inside the dryer, at the bottom. For those that aren't scared, remove the front of your dryer and that should allow you to vacuum the inside of the dryer and clean it all the way. On most models you'll release 2 clips at the front, flip the top up, remove the screws that hold the front panel attached, and that whole panel will come off. The drum should stay in place held by a piece in the middle that usually doesn't interfere too much with the cleaning inside. It's basically the steps you'd follow to replace the heating element. Get a shop vac ready because it's a lot of lint (depending on the age of your dryer).

[FredSays]

We used to leave the dryer on when we left the house and nearly lost the entire house one day due to a lint fire. Luckily, we got to it soon enough as it was surrounded by concrete in the basement. Very good tips.

[rogerhensley]

What a great video, I have been on our fire department for 42 years and have seen several dryer fires. Thanks so much.

[STorm_Trooper]

I did this last year when I moved into my new place. Used that exact same kit and what a difference it made. Can’t recommend this enough. I know someone that their house burnt down due to not cleaning their dryer lint.

[phil]

Taping the joints of the fiberglass rod is advisable, so they don't separate inside the duct vent. I like the idea of using a plastic cup so the vacuum is always on while brushing the duct.

[leedress]

I'm glad to see someone as obsessed with their dryer pipes as I am. I have the suction stick and brush you use, but now I need to get the drill attachment! Nice work and very well explained. Thanks!

[VampyRagDoll]

Dryer lint is a really good fire source for fire pits.

[mjremy]

Thank you!!! Very useful video, and really shows how to clean a dryer vent. When vent goes up its even worse.
One thing I do, is after vacuuming everything out, I reverse the vacuum and blow out the dryer from inside the lint screen opening. It is amazing how much lint comes out that you don't see. You need to wear a mask and goggles. It is a mess. Then I blow out the vent too from dryer side and reverse as well, after tying a sieve to garage side. Oh my!

If I buy a used dryer, I turn it upside down and vacuum the heck out of it on my driveway. Years of lint come off, contacts are cleaned with alcohol and dry brush, and good as new. Vacuum, blow, vacuum, blow both ends repeatedly till it is clean.

[karenbrauneis]

Than you so much for posting this excellent video on cleaning your dryer and vent tube. I have done some maintenance recently, but didn’t really know how to do an in-depth cleaning. I am very grateful for your step-by-step, comprehensive video. Something I learned from another channel is that you need to wash your lint screen. Fabric softener leaves an invisible residue on your screen so that water won’t even go through the mesh.

[thehawkc]

The instructions I got with my brush tool thing ( it's 5 years old) is to brush in one direction while vacuuming from the other direction. It has worked great.I clean the pipe once a year. I would also change that outside vent, just my two cents. Go video, thanks

[coppertopjohnson]

Another wonderful tutorial that is useful for all homeowners. Just went to Amazon to buy the brush and vacuum attachment. Thanks for showing us step-by-step. 👍🏼👍🏼

[wayneyadams]

1:45 we knew a woman who bought a new dryer because he old one stopped drying. Shortly afterward, her new dryer also stopped, so she called a repairman who told her she needed to clean the lint trap. She had no idea there was a lint trap nor that it needed cleaning. LOL

[bramwellprice]

The tool you hooked to the vacuum is a good one for vacuuming out your vehicle getting between the seats and center console as well as under the seats it will fit better than most crevice tools that come with vacuums