Reference
How often should you clean your dryer vent?
Clean the dryer vent and lint duct once a year, sooner if loads need more than one cycle to dry. That is the interval the HomeAlmanac app schedules for this job, adjusted for the systems your home actually has.
- How often
- Once a year
- Time needed
- 45 min
- Best time
- Any time of year
- Priority
- High
Why it matters
Lint buildup in the dryer duct is a leading cause of house fires and makes the dryer work far harder than it should.
How to do it
Unplug the dryer, disconnect the duct, and vacuum or brush out lint from the duct and the exterior vent flap. Confirm the flap opens freely.
When to do it
There is no season for this one. What matters is the interval, which is exactly the kind of thing that quietly slips when you are tracking it in your head.
HomeAlmanac schedules this one for you, works out the next due date each time you mark it done, and reminds you before it is late.
Build your free planWhat this protects
Staying on this schedule is one of the biggest levers on how long these last.
Quick answers
- How often should you clean your dryer vent?
- Clean the dryer vent and lint duct once a year, sooner if loads need more than one cycle to dry.
- Why does it matter?
- Lint buildup in the dryer duct is a leading cause of house fires and makes the dryer work far harder than it should.
- What happens if I skip it?
- Nothing, right up until it is expensive. These jobs are cheap and quick precisely because they are preventive; the repair they prevent is neither.