Dryer Vent Cleaning in DeKalb, IL
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers DeKalb County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. Once that air hits the cold metal of the vent, whether it runs through an attic or along an outside wall, it cools fast in a DeKalb winter. The moisture in it beads up on the vent walls, and lint catches in the damp spots instead of blowing straight through to the outside.
That lint builds into a layer, then a blockage. A blocked vent traps heat and moisture in the line, and that is what leads to a dryer that takes longer to dry a load, or worse.
- 17°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 standard rule for most homes. Lint builds up along the whole vent run, not just in the trap, and a yearly cleaning is what keeps that from turning into a blockage. If the vent run is long or has several bends, it collects lint faster and is worth checking on its own schedule.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the parts you can reach, but the full vent run is harder to do right. Pulling the dryer out and vacuuming the first few feet of duct plus the outside vent hood helps, but lint collects the whole length of the vent, including any bends, and a shop vac from either end usually can't reach the middle of a long run. A vent cleaning kit with rods reaches farther, but if the run is long or has several turns, a contractor with the right equipment will get it fully clear.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes take more than one cycle to dry, or come out hot instead of dry. The outside of the dryer feels hot to the touch, or the vent hood flap outside barely moves when the dryer runs. You may also notice a burnt smell or more lint than usual around the lint trap. Any of these means air isn't moving through the vent the way it should, and that's worth having checked.