Dryer Vent Cleaning in Marion, IL
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Williamson County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold nights turn dryer lint into a wall of buildup
Your dryer pushes warm, damp air out through the vent. From December through February, when nights average 27°F, that air hits cold metal partway through and cools fast. The moisture in it beads up on the vent walls, and the lint that would otherwise blow straight through sticks there instead.
Over a winter that runs seven months, October through April, that buildup narrows the vent a little at a time. Airflow drops, the dryer takes longer to get clothes dry, and the lint packed inside is fuel sitting next to a heat source.
- 27°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 7 months
- October through April, 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. A dryer pushes moist, lint-heavy air through that vent every time it runs, and lint builds up along the way even if you clean the trap every load. A contractor can check the full run and tell you if yours needs cleaning more often than that.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the first few feet, but most homeowners can't reach the whole run. The trap and the accessible section near the machine are easy to pull lint from by hand or with a long brush. What's harder to reach is the rest of the duct, especially where it bends, runs through a wall, or exits at the vent hood outside. A contractor uses tools built to clear the full length and confirm the vent hood outside is actually opening when the dryer runs.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes taking longer to dry is usually the first sign. Other signs are the outside of the dryer feeling hot to the touch, a burning smell during a cycle, or the flap on the outside vent hood barely moving when the dryer runs. If you check the vent hood outside and feel little to no airflow while the dryer is on, the vent is likely blocked somewhere along the run.