The short rule: once a year
For a typical household, an annual dryer vent cleaning keeps lint from building up to the point where it blocks airflow. The lint screen catches most lint, but not all of it. What slips past collects inside the vent line, especially at bends and at the outside cap.
When to clean more often
- Large families or daily laundry
- Long vent runs, or vents that exit through the roof
- Stacked laundry in condos and townhomes
- Homes near the ocean, where humidity makes lint clump
- Pets that shed
Signs your vent is already clogged
Clothes still damp after a full cycle, a dryer that's hot to the touch, a burning smell, lint around the outside vent, or an outside flap that barely opens when the dryer runs. Any of these means it's time now, not next year.
Why it matters
Lint is flammable, and a blocked vent traps heat inside the dryer. A clean vent also dries loads faster, which saves energy and wear on the dryer.
What a professional cleaning includes
We clean the full line from the dryer to the exterior cap, check the hose behind the dryer for crushing, and clear and check the outside cap. If the hose is foil or plastic, we can replace it with metal ducting.
