Learning to clean accumulated lint from your dryer cabinet offers distinct benefits. As well as prolonging the heating element’s durability, it helps to dry your clothes quicker. Even more, it keeps your energy bills low.
All these take only 30 minutes!
Follow this guide on removing accumulated lint from inside the dryer cabinet. Without any further delay, let’s read on to find out more!
How To Clean Dryer Vent From Inside?
We will deal with the exhaust duct section first.
For that, let us take a look at the things you need to clean the dryer vent from inside.
What You Need
- A cleaning kit (You can find it in any local hardware shop or buy from online stores)
- Broom or vacuum and dustpan
- Power drill
Steps for how to clean dryer vent from outside:
- Find Where The Vent Is
Before cleaning, find the exact vent location. Generally, dryers are linked to a short exhaust tube, which links to ductwork on the wall’s inner side.
Via this pipe, hot air is propelled that escapes through a duct to the outside.
Once you locate the outdoor exhaust vent, look inside for any remnants, including lint, dust, or even dead pests. Next, wash screens to filter any visible hindrances.
- Cautiously Disconnect The Dryer
Once you determine the function of the ducts, it’s time to unplug the dryer. Next, remove any clamps or metal tapes that form a link between your dryer vent pipe and its exhaust.
Do this gently to avoid breaking the pipe.
- Vacuum Your Lint
Now, the dryer vent should be clearly visible. Using a shop vac or vacuum cleaner, suck up the lint around or inside the hole.
If you use a handheld vacuum cleaner, the same process can be done on your exterior gut.
- Brush It Off!
Connect your dryer brush from the vent cleaning set to the power drill. Insert the rod’s brush end into the duct.
Insert the brush as deep into the duct as you can, keeping in mind that you should carefully direct the hose connection based on the path the duct takes.
If you cannot reach the entire length of your duct or the brush is short, try putting the brush head in as well.
- Clean And Reconnect
By now, you have probably unearthed a heap of lint. It’s now time to bid adieu to your fluffy friends. For that, you need to resort to a broom or vacuum cleaner.
Then, plug the dryer into the socket.
This is for the exhaust duct section. One thing to note is that it is better to replace a flexible duct with a rigid metal one for stability.
Now, we’ll be looking at cleaning inside a dryer.
Cleaning Dryer Lint Trap
The buildup of dryer lint can lead to a malfunctioning dryer and potentially a house fire. Let us check some steps to clean the inside of a dryer.
Step 1: Clean the Lint Screen
Follow the steps below to wipe off your lint screen.
- Pulling out your screen
Be careful to locate your lint screen precisely. Scan the screen (it might be present on the side, top, or bottom of your dryer door) to clean off lint from every corner.
Then, grabbing the screen handle, pull it out with gentle pressure till it gets fully extended.
- Clean the lint using your hands
Until you get that fluffy ball of lint, run your hands on the screen. Next, rub the lint ball over the screen to attract the remaining lint.
Similarly, you can use a brush as well to pull the lint from the screen.
Continue until you can clearly view through the screen with no blockages. Finally, dump the collected lint into the trash can.
- Rinse your screen using water
Even after pulling out the screen throughout, remove any additional lint and later run under some sink water.
If your dryer screen is dusty, try applying some soap to its surface. Until it becomes clear, keep rinsing. Repeat this every few weeks.
- Vacuum out your screen vent
Look into your lint trap when the screen is out. Get the extended vacuum connection out in case you come across any extra debris or lint.
Adhere this attachment to the trap region, and switch it on to remove any additional materials present.
It prevents the formation of a clog in that area.
- Repeat
Ensure proper cleaning before placing a fresh load. Then, screen it and trap the lint.
Step 2: Do a Deep Cleaning of Your Vents
- Disconnect your Dryer
Go around to the dryer’s back to detach its power cord. You might need to cut off the electric connection at this point. Due to moving around, the interior panels might open up, so it’s better to stay safe.
- Detach the exhaust pipe
Check the back part of your machine after taking the dryer away from the wall.
Locate your exhaust hose and loosen it. Just by squeezing the clamp, you can remove it. Otherwise, you might need to loosen the bolt.
- Empty the exhaust pipe of your lint
Once the pipe is entirely removed, bring it to a well-lit region and take a look inside. Various-sized lint balls will come into view. Then, with a cleaning brush, clean the interior gently.
You could also suck out all the lint using a vacuum attachment. Keep the newly neat vent outside.
- Feed a brush in the vent
Gradually, clean the wall vent using a cleaning rod, rotating as much needed.
- Reattach Your Exhaust Hose
Go behind and reattach your exhaust hose using your hand or a screwdriver to secure the clamps.
Plug in the dryer to examine any hot air escaping from the vent sides.
Step 3: Complete a Deep Cleansing of the Dryer Cabinet
Moving on to the last step of cleaning inside a dryer.
- Remove the panel
Open it and clean all the visible parts.
- Vacuum the exposed regions
Using a vacuum, pick up any debris, dirt, or lint.
- Replace each part
Once your task of wiping it clean is done, slide back the panel into its original position. Now, watch this video to learn deep-cleaning the dryer lint trap.
Why Is It Important To Clean The Dryer Cabinet?
Accumulated lint from inside the dryer cabinet causes around 15,000 fires per year.
When the exhaust vent cap or vent is clogged, impeding the airflow, dryer lint escapes via tiny cracks along the dryer drum’s edges and falls into the dryer cabinet.
Gas burners, electric heating elements, or even a slight spark from the engine can ignite the lint, whose flame travels via the lint-covered exhaust vent.
To ensure that this does not frequently happen, monitor the inside of your dryer cabinet and exhaust vent of your house.
Final Words
That’s a wrap for now! We hope this guide answers all your queries about removing accumulated lint from inside the dryer cabinet.
Remember that it is vital to do this every 6 months. If your clothes do not seem to dry or the dryer becomes hot quickly, perform a quick cleaning.
Lastly, you can always ask for help from repair specialists in your area. Still, clean the exterior vent before the scheduled.
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