Dryer Vent Cleaning in Aurora, IL
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Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent run that sits in cold space most of the year. From December through February, nights here average 18°F. The warm air cools fast once it hits that cold metal, and the moisture in it condenses on the walls of the vent. Lint doesn't just blow through after that. It sticks.
A vent that's collecting lint this way narrows a little more each month. Airflow drops, drying times stretch out, and the dryer works harder to push exhaust through a smaller opening. That buildup sits there through the eight months a year your house is heating, getting worse the whole time.
- 18°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is the general rule for most households. A long vent run or one with a lot of turns collects lint faster than a short, straight one, so those homes may need it checked sooner. If clothes are taking longer to dry than they used to, that is a sign to clean it now rather than wait for the year mark.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, which is usually the first few feet behind the dryer and the outside hood. A vent brush kit works for that section. The rest of the run, especially if it goes up through a wall or travels a long distance to the outside, is hard to reach and hard to check without the right tools, so a contractor is the safer call for the full length.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, or that come out hotter than usual, are the main sign. You might also notice a burning smell, the outside vent hood flap barely moving when the dryer runs, or lint collecting around the dryer itself. Any of these means air is not moving through the vent the way it should, and it is worth having someone check the full run.