We're a cleaning company telling you how to clean your own vent. Partly because some of it you really can do, and partly because the DIY jobs we get called to fix are predictable.
What you can do yourself
- Unplug the dryer (or shut the gas valve for a gas dryer and don't move it far).
- Pull it out and disconnect the transition hose. Shake the hose out outside. If it's white vinyl or crushed foil, replace it with semi-rigid aluminum.
- Vacuum the dryer's exhaust port and the first foot of wall duct with a shop vac and crevice tool.
- Run a brush kit as far as it will go, feeding the rods slowly and spinning with a drill on low. Pull back frequently to clear the brush.
- Clear the exterior cap. Pull lint from the louvers, remove any screen, make sure the flap swings freely.
- Reconnect, tape (don't screw) the joints, and test. Run the dryer and check airflow at the cap.
The leaf blower trick
You'll find videos of people blasting a leaf blower into the duct. Occasionally it works. Often it rams a lint plug tighter against the cap, blows lint into the wall through a loose joint, or does nothing about the lint stuck to the duct walls. We don't recommend it.
When to stop and call
- Roof vent. The clog is at the cap, 20 feet up, and brush kits rarely reach it.
- Run over 15 feet or with elbows. Kits kink and break at elbows.
- The brush got stuck. Don't force it. We retrieve broken rods with a camera.
- You hear birds or smell burning.
- Airflow is still weak after DIY. Something is disconnected or crushed inside the wall.
The honest comparison
A $30 kit on a short straight basement run is a fine Saturday job. For anything longer, a professional rotary system, HEPA vacuum and airflow meter get the whole run clean and catch hazards you can't see. Our flat rate is $139 for wall vents and $199 for roof vents.