Dryer Vent Cleaning in Chicago, IL
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Cook County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents turn lint into a wall
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that sits in a cold space most of the year. From December through February, nights here average 20 degrees, so the vent itself runs cold long before the air inside it does. That warm air cools fast against the metal, and the moisture in it turns the lint from dust into something that sticks.
Once lint sticks, more lint sticks to it. The vent narrows, the dryer takes longer to dry a load, and the air has to push harder to get outside at all.
- 20°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, the vent stays cold
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is the general rule. If you dry a lot of loads, have a long vent run, or notice towels and jeans taking longer than they used to, clean it more often than that. Waiting longer between cleanings only makes sense if you rarely use the dryer.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the section you can reach, but most vent runs go through a wall or up to a roof cap, and that part is hard to reach with a household vacuum or a short brush kit. A full cleaning usually means a rod-and-brush system run from both ends, or a vacuum strong enough to pull lint the whole length of the duct. If your vent run is short and straight, a snap-together brush kit can do a decent job. If it bends, runs a long distance, or ends up high on a roof, that is a job for a contractor with the right equipment.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take two cycles to dry, or come out hot instead of dry, are the clearest sign. Check the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. If the flap barely moves or you feel weak airflow, lint is blocking the path. A burning smell, a dryer that gets hot to the touch, or lint building up around the lint trap door are all signs the vent needs attention, and any of them is worth acting on quickly since a blocked vent is a fire risk.