If your dryer's not drying clothes or it's taking longer than usual, you could have a build-up of lint in the lint trap door. Here's how to clean your dryer lint trap.
When we purchased our home in July it came with a used washer and clothes dryer. We were thrilled because that was one less appliance we needed to buy.
After running several loads of laundry our excitement turned into disappointment. The dryer would dry the clothes but it took at least two cycles to get the clothes dry.
Here it is, a year and a half later and we are still dealing with the same dryer and taking FOREVER to get a load done. We have threatened about a dozen times to buy a new one but it still kinda worked so we kept putting it off.
Earlier this week I took the time and cleaned the dryer lint trap and oh my goodness it has made a world of difference. In fact, I had a load that was completely dry and hot BEFORE the timer beeped!
I am hoping that by sharing how simple this is, you will take the time to clean your dryer vent and see what a difference it makes. The whole thing seriously took less than 30 minutes. I'm embarrassed it took me so long to do it.
How often should you clean a dryer lint trap?
You should remove the lint off the trap before every load of clothes.
As for the deep clean where you clean the trap itself and the slot it goes into, at least once a year.
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Cleaning the Dryer Lint Screen:
Here is my lint trap. You can judge me by how gross it is because it is bad. And this is when it's "clean" and the lint has been removed. EWWW!
I immediately brought it to my sink for a good rinsing.
When I turned the water on it wouldn't even go through the mesh. Airflow is supposed to come through this filter, and if water can't get through then that makes sense as to why hot air wasn't making it through.
My tool of choice to clean the trap is a toothbrush. Mine is a freebie that we got from our dentist.
The bristles of the cleaning brush work great at removing all of the little pieces of yucky inside the mesh. Also, use a little bit of dish soap. The dish soap will help remove any residue from the dryer sheets or fabric softener.
I kind of expected that I would have to scrub, but that really wasn't the case. The yuckies brushed away very easily. I cleaned the lint trap in about 10 minutes.
The lint trap will need to dry before you use it again, but it doesn't take long to dry at all.
Oh my gosh, you can see through it!
Cleaning the Dryer Lint Trap Slot:
The next step is to get all of the lint out of the lint trap slot. It was hard to get a good picture of the inside but there was lint buildup all over the sides and probably a couple inches on the bottom of that thin little slot.
That is definitely a fire hazard.
The Lint Lizard is a cleaning kit that has an accessory that goes over the end of the vacuum hose attachment that turns into a smaller hose that will fit inside the lint trap slot.
We have a Shark Lift-Away and I love this vacuum.
I inserted the smaller hose into the lint trap and moved it around until I got all of the lint out. This tool is so much easier than using bent hangers to try to remove all of that excess lint.
When I was all done you could actually see the metal of the lint trap. It made me realize how gross it really was!
Cleaning my lint trap really has made such a difference in how well my dryer works, and I am sure it has increased its efficiency by about a billion percent.
How long has it been since you cleaned your dryer lint trap? If it has been more than 1 year I challenge you to get out the old toothbrush and dish soap and get it done.
When you clean your dryer lint trap, please share a photo! We'd love to see it.
Katie Adams
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Kim
Oh my gosh! We have been dealing with this same issue...and eventually the clogged up filter will cause the dryer to overheat & it will keep shutting itself off & can burn out the thermostat. Guess how I know this? lol I've washed my lint filter but it didn't seem as clean as it should...using a toothbrush is a great idea! I'm going to go do that now! Well...I'm putting it on my "to-do" list at least 😉
Julie @ Logger's Wife
I have a dryer brush set that fits into the slot where the lint trap goes then another one to clean out the duct itself but I have never thought to scrub the lint trap. That is getting added to my to do list. 🙂 (visiting from A Little R & R Wednesdays)
Deedra
I need to do this so bad. I need that tool that you used when I do it. Looks so easy that my kids could do it. Have a great day.
Katie
I put it off for may too long too so I totally understand. 🙂
Chris
Thanks for sharing this at Funtastic Friday!
Sara Syrett
What a great solution! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday!
Katie
Thanks Sara! I'm glad you liked my Dryer tip!
Carol
Thank you for this, many people are not aware and it is so important because lint is highly flammable. I have known several people whose house caught fire due to over heated dryers and lint, or even because the dryer was not vented properly. One family member vented it to their attic and summer hot attic and lint cost them their house. Just a reminder, when you clean your lint trap don't forget the vent. We have found it easier to clean if your vent is sheet metal rather than those expandable plastic hoses. Even short lengths need to be cleaned regularly.
Katie
Thanks, Carol! All great tips and a good reminder as to why cleaning the lint trap and vent are so important!
YVONNE
The Lint Lizard is a great tool to use. You can also go on the back of your dryer take off the hose that goes to the outside and clean that out because it has alot of lint build up in the hose . Then take your vaccum to the back of the dryer and clean that out to. I didn't realize that so much lint was in the back of the dryer. Make sure to unplug it first.
Katie
YES! Great tip Yvonne! Thank you!