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A grey plastic exhaust vent mounted on dark blue vinyl house siding, with a blurred dusk sky and bare tree visible in the background.

Dryer Vent Cleaning in Norristown, PA

Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Montgomery County will get in touch.

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It takes about a minute.

Step 1 of 3: Equipment
A white hooded exhaust vent cap mounted on gray vinyl house siding.

Cold vents catch the lint your dryer pushes out

Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air every time it runs. From October through April, that vent is sitting in a cold house or a cold wall cavity, and on winter nights averaging 25°F outside, the air inside the vent cools fast. Moisture beads up on the vent walls, and lint sticks to it instead of blowing clear out the hood.

Over a winter that buildup narrows the vent from the inside. A dryer that cannot push air out through a choked vent runs hotter and takes longer to dry a load.

25°F
the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
7 months
October through April, the vent stays cold
Line illustration of a clothes dryer on a floor next to a wall, with a flexible duct connecting its exhaust to a wall vent hood.
Your vent runs coldest from November through March.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
Once a year for most households. Lint builds up along the inside of the duct, not just in the trap, and that buildup is what a yearly cleaning clears out. A large household doing loads almost every day may need it checked more often than that.
Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
You can clean the first few feet near the dryer yourself, but most of the vent run is out of reach with a vacuum or a brush from the room. The duct usually runs several feet through a wall or ceiling to an outside vent hood, and lint collects the whole way. A contractor uses rods and a brush built to reach the full length, and can check that the vent hood outside is actually letting air out.
What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
Clothes that take longer than one cycle to dry, or that come out hot to the touch instead of just warm. Also check the outside vent hood while the dryer runs. If you feel little or no airflow there, the vent is likely blocked somewhere along its run. A burning smell or the dryer shutting off partway through a cycle both mean the same thing and should not wait.
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