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When we moved into our new house I was disappointed by how long it took the dryer to dry our clothes. As the sole laundry-doer of the family I quickly started looking at our budget to see when we could get a new one. I was talking to my mom about it one day and she asked “did you clean out the duct yet?”
“Did I do what to the huh??”
After a little research and some shopping we cleaned out the duct and our clothes dry nice and fast now! We filled up a whole shop vac with lint from the duct. There was also star shaped confetti in there so I think I would get along with the people who lived here before!
Look at all that lint! And to think there is that much through the whole duct which is over 12 feet long!
Why do I need to clean my dryer ducts?
The lint trap only catches part of the lint that comes off our laundry. The rest sneaks passed and builds up in the ducts over time. This build up reduces air flow and can block exhaust gases from escaping. At the least, cleaning your dryer ducts annually will save time and electricity. At most, in can prevent fires and save lives.
To DIY or hire a professional?
We spent $30 on a kit to clean our ducts and about $20 on an extension for the kit. We already had a shop vac and a drill so we only spent $50 total. A quick search online states that it usually costs about $90 to $160 to hire a professional to clean your ducts. In my opinion it is well worth buying everything you need to do it yourself, even if you have to invest in a drill and shop vac. You will likely use both tools for lots of projects and the kit is reusable so you only have to buy it once. Give it a try on your own, you might be surprised by how easy and satisfying it is to do it yourself!
Here is what you will need to clean your ducts:
- LintEater Dryer Vent Removal Kit
- 12 Foot Extension Kit (You might not need this if your dryer is super close to the outside vent but we needed it.)
- A Shop Vac
- A Drill
This video is under 4 minutes and shows you how to clean your own ducts.
I hope, for the safety of your family you will clean your ducts soon!
Oh girl I needed to read this!! I just leaned over to my husband and said we need to clean our dryer ducts. Thanks for this I’ll be referencing it!!
Wow! I never thought this was necessary. Thanks for the tips! I am adding this to my Spring cleaning list!!
Omg, I needed this. I’m pretty sure mine is loaded with lint. I’m afraid to look. Lol
Thank you so much for the reminder and the helpful tips! This is definitely on my list of things to do!
EEEK!! I think I need to do this…I have to dry our stuff multiple times before they’re dully dry. Thanks for the tip!
I bet this will make a huge difference.!
It’s always good to know how to do things for yourself! a great reminder too, to check my own dryer duct!
You might be surprised by what’s hanging out in there!
Very helpful advice! This is definitely on our to-do list now, maybe this/next weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reading!
So gross right!??!?! We found a partial bird’s nest in one of ours! 😬😬😬
What?!?! That’s crazy!
Yes – you should clean them every so often. It’s crazy how dirty they get!
Oh my, am I supposed to be doing this? Oops!
Most people don’t know!
This is such a good reminder. I need my sons to get in and do this as it has been a year! I know that the dryer will work more efficiently as well once it is finished!
My husband was just saying the other day that we needed to clean the dryer ducts so thanks for sharing!
Great idea to clean those. My husband just cleaned the fan for our central air and the fans were so much quieter. And I’m sure they work so much faster now.
I’m so doing this! Our dryer isn’t running the best anymore and I’m wondering if this will fix it
Wow I’ve never thought of this, but I’m sure my husband can do it.
I have never done this before- thank you for the tips!
This a great informative blog. Thanks for sharing the steps ♥️ ♥️ By any chance you are interested on doing collaborations, you can check out the collaborations portal of Phlanx.com and connect with amazing brands!
Xoxo,
Tiffany