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How To Clean Your Clothes Dryer

If you are concerned about your clothes dryer and want to clean the dryer and pipes yourself, you have come to the right place. The articles here will give you the information you require to do the job.

dryer vent pipe

How Clothes Dryers Can Cause House Fires

Dryer Blamed For Hotel Fire. Investgators believe a clothes dryer caused the fire that destroyed the Columbia Hotel which took the lives of three people. The dryer was being used just before the fire broke out.

Clothes dryers that are not cleaned of lint from the dryer and venting pipes, pose a risk for a house fire.
Fires can start in the electric motors when they start, a momentary spark in the motor on start up can ignite any dust/lint that may have collected in that area around the motor.
Lint that comes in contact with the dryer electric element can also burst into flame or cause a burnt odor. If the lint collected in the air ducting pipe should start on fire; it is further fanned by the air which is blown through the dryer and venting pipes.
Some of the older homes still have plastic corrugated pipe for the venting which really traps lint in the pipes. Once a lint fire gets started, it quickly heats up, and soon the plastic venting pipe bursts into flame. This next ignites any combustible materials next to the pipes and soon the entire home is in flames. Even if it is just a little fire the smell from these fires can leave a strong odor in the clothes drum, which can make your clothes stink when they come out of the dryer.

How To Clean Out The Trapped Lint

The first thing to do is Unplug The Dryer and move it so you can work in behind. Replace any plastic venting pipes with metal pipes. If the pipes in place are metal, then just a cleaning is in order. Remove all pipes; they are usually in sections of two or three feet in length, and are connected together. The pipes usually have sheet metal screws to hold each section together. Before taking apart, mark each connection with a marker pen so you will know the order in which to put it back together again; this way the screw holes will lign up and be be in the right place. Remove the larger chunks of lint by hand, vacuum any lint that you can and finish up the cleaning with a damp rag. Also clean the inside of the pipe going into the lower back of the dryer where the venting pipes attach. Vacuum what you can and then reach inside the pipe with a damp rag on the end of a stick and wipe out the dust and lint. There is also a small cover you can remove on the lower, back right hand side of the dryer; you will be able to see if there is any dust around the motor and inside the bottom part of the dryer. Always take care when working around the cabinet sheet metal, as there are always sharp edges. At the front of the dryer, remove the lint trap screen and clean. Take a flashlight and view below the lint trap in the dryer. If you see lint on the sides and bottom; fashion a hook out of a clothes hanger to reach in and pull out the lint. Use a crevice tool on the vacuum cleaner to reach into the tight spots. Finish up with a damp rag tied to an appropriate stick.
Outside the house, investigate the moving “flapper” and clean thoroughly so the action is unrestricted. If possible remove the outside cover to get at the back side of the flapper and remove any lint that you can.
Reinstall the pipe and place the dryer back in place, plug in and run on cool air for ten minutes; this will blow out any loose lint that you may have missed.

How To Rectify Poor Drying

Poor drying is often caused by lint buildup in the screen or in the exhaust system. Heater parts, fan or faulty seals around the drum or door can cause poor drying. Not to overlook a broken drumbelt; if the drum is not rotating, clothes cannot tumble and receive the drying air

Common problems causing the dryer to overheat is a clogged outdoor exhaust vent, incorrectly installed exhaust duct, faulty operating thermostat or faulty grounded heating coil.

Burnt Smell
When a clothes dryer is operating properly and a burnt smell is detected while the dryer is in operation the usual cause is dust coming into contact with the heating element inside the dryer. If the back of the dryer has not been cleaned in a long time, dust balls build up and are eventually sucked into the air intake. The dust balls come into contact with the red hot heating element and catch fire. A dryer which has a thermostat problem, may be overheating and causing the clothes to have a burnt smell.

Clothes Dryer Taking longer to dry clothes
In very cold weather, if the venting pipe flapper on the outside of the house doesn't close properly, cold air will drop down the exhaust pipe when the dryer is not running and cool down the dryer, almost to the outside temperature. It will take extra time to heat the dryer to operating temperature. The cold air coming down the exhaust pipe will pass through the dryer and start cooling down the basement. The usual cause for a vent flapper to stay open is an accumulation of lint around the flapper. This can be cleaned ouside where the air vents. It is also a good idea to place a heavy towel inside the dryer when not in use, as this will help prevent cold air from coming into the house.

Speeding up the drying time
If you place a dry towel in the dryer, with your clothes, it will take less time to dry the clothes.

By changing an exhaust plastic corrugated pipe to a metal one, and adding two dry towels to the load, it will reduce your drying time by 15 minutes.

See Dryer Repair

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Is My Clothes Dryer Safe From Fires? What Causes A Burnt Smell? Clothes Dryer Tips For The Average Person.