Your dryer can’t dry what it can’t breathe out. Every load pushes hot, damp air and lint through the vent to the outside. When that vent clogs, your dryer works harder, your clothes take longer, and lint, which burns easily, builds up where it’s hot. Here are the warning signs to watch for.

1. Clothes Need More Than One Cycle

If a normal load used to dry in one cycle and now needs two, the dryer probably isn’t the problem. The moist air has nowhere to go, so your clothes stay damp.

2. The Dryer or Your Clothes Feel Unusually Hot

A blocked vent traps heat inside the machine. If the top of the dryer or the clothes coming out feel much hotter than they used to, take it seriously.

3. You Smell Something Burning

A burning smell while the dryer runs can mean lint is overheating. Stop the dryer, unplug it, and don’t run it again until the vent has been checked and cleaned.

4. Weak Airflow Outside

Go outside while the dryer is running and find the vent cover on the wall. You should feel a strong, warm stream of air, and the flap should open. Weak air, a flap that barely moves, or lint packed around the opening all point to a clog.

5. Lint Where It Doesn’t Belong

Lint collecting around the dryer door, behind the machine, or inside the lint trap housing means it’s backing up instead of leaving the house.

What to Do About It

• Clean the lint screen before or after every load. It’s the simplest habit that helps.
• Clean the full vent line from the dryer to the outside wall at least once a year, and more often for a big household that runs a lot of laundry.
• Check the duct behind the dryer. Thin plastic or foil duct crushes and kinks easily. A rigid or semi-rigid metal duct moves air better and is the safer choice.
• If you have a gas dryer, a blocked vent can also trap exhaust gases, so keeping it clear matters even more.

Clean It Yourself

Cleaning a dryer vent is a job most homeowners can handle with an inexpensive brush kit and an hour or two. My guide walks you through cleaning a dryer vent, step by step.

Get the full guide: How to Clean a Dryer Vent by Hank Palmer, on Amazon