How do you make sure your dryer vent is not clogged up like a chimney? Should they be cleaned yearly?
By Sharon
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Personally I liked to clean mine every few months. I always got enough lint out of there to scare the bejeeburs outta me! I use a clothes line now but was a bit fanatical about cleaning the hose and vent duct when I had a tumble dryer because I was really afraid of fire.
There are brushes you can buy at any d-i-y centre that go up the vent/hose and knock off the accumulated lint; you can also tape a dish mop to the end of the vacuum hose and send it in that way.
At least twice a year (at the very least) you should remove and inspect the vent hose, clean it and the duct work to the vent. The easiest ones to clean and replace are the rigid aluminum ones, those plastic things are super hard to clean, tear easily, and are dangerous. The aluminum foil ones are not much better than the plastic ones.
If you are really handy you can disconnect the machine from the wall and pull the back panel to clear the lint out of there, but be careful about static electricity sparking a fire. Read your owner's manual for specifics to your machine; if you don't have one it's easy to Google and find a free one to download.
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