Every clothes dryer should have a vent leading to the exterior of the house through a roof or some part of a wall several feet away from the dryer’s back. If your vent is clean and not blocked with lint, it should make your dryer operationally efficient and cost effective. An unclogged clothes dryer vent will make your clothes dry quickly and will also reduce your utility bills considerably.


There are several things to keep in mind while making provisions and installing a clothes dryer vent. While most buildings and residences make such provisions, ensure that the vent leads to the exterior of the building or house and not to some garage or attic. If you are making provisions for the vent, ensure that there are not many twists and bends as these are the potential places where lint can accumulate.

There are several stores that offer dryer vent kits. For instance, Maytag’s Dryer Vent Kit with the SKU 12001453 is priced somewhere in the range of $27-$34 and includes an exhaust opening plate, exhaust duct, elbow, exhaust duct with bracket and an instruction sheet. Whirlpool also offers a dryer vent kit priced from $28 to $46.

Do not use accordion type dryer ducts made of materials like foil or plastic as they slump at points where lint can settle and clog the duct, thus reducing the airflow within the vent and creating a potential fire hazard. Instead, opt for corrugated rigid or semi-rigid metal ducting material. By not allowing lint to collect, they ensure there is sufficient airflow within the exhaust pipe.

Other precautions to take include the following.

  • Clean the lint filter regularly after every drying. If you think your clothes are taking a long time to dry, it is highly possible that lint has accumulated in the duct.
  • Clean the dryer vent at least twice in a year. You can now and then check if the exhaust air is actually escaping from the exterior dryer vent.
  • Always clean the back of the dryer as a lot of lint gets collected there. Get a qualified technician to regularly clean the dryer chassis’s interiors.

You can also use professional clothes dryer vent cleaning services. These typically use an augur or a rotating brush to remove the lint from the vent while simultaneously running a vacuum to suck out the lint from the exhaust pipe. Charges may vary based on factors like the distance of the exterior of the vent from the dryer, if the house/residence is multi-storied and accessibility to roofs and walls. There are several local dryer vent cleaning service providers. Trusted brands like Sears Home Services also offer dryer vent cleaning services. If you are hiring a professional clothes dryer vent cleaning service provider, check their certifications, their license and equipment. Most often technicians who handle such assignments are certified by the CSIA or the Chimney Safety Institute of America. If for any reason, you find the technicians or the service providers are misrepresenting themselves as certified, please report it to the Better Business Bureau.

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