Ask Tom & Leslie

Dryer Vent Hard To Clean

Dear Tom & Leslie,
Your newsletter last week had a section on cleaning dryer vents using a product called "Lint Eater" (see www.linteater.com) product.  I looked at that, but it requires you to access the vent on the outside of the house.  Since my dryer is on the second floor, I think my vent goes out of the roof.  Is that right?  If so, how could I possibly clean it?  I have never cleaned the vent because we had a real hard time lining up the back of the dryer with the vent in the wall.  If I pull it out, I'm not sure I'd be able to get it back in. Should I just not worry about it?  I do clean the lint filter out all the time, but I know that isn’t really enough.
Lisa K
Princeton, NJ

Dear Lisa,
No cleaning your lint filter is not enough!  You'd be wise to get a friend and pull that dryer out and use the Lint Eater brush to scrub the insides of the duct.  You will be quite surprised by the volume of lint that gets trapped in the ducts of those with even the most admirable lint-trap cleaning habits!  You got the dryer back once before, so you will be able to do this again.  The only other way to attack the duct is from the roof where it terminates but since gravity won't be in your favor there, we recomend you access it from the dryer area first.
Thanks for listening,
Tom & Leslie

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