Dryer Vent Cleaning in Reno, NV
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Washoe County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Cold vents make lint stick
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and on a winter night that averages 23°F, the vent it travels through is cold. The air cools fast against those walls, and the moisture in it makes lint cling instead of blowing through to the outside. Over a season that buildup narrows the vent until the dryer is pushing air through a much smaller opening than it was built for.
A blocked vent does not just slow drying. It traps heat and lint together in one place, which is how vent fires start.
- 23°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 8 months
- October through May, the vent stays cold
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year is the standard, more often if you dry a lot of loads or you have a long run of duct between the dryer and the outside wall. Lint builds up along the inside of the vent even when the lint trap looks clean, since the trap never catches all of it. A vent that runs longer than the usual straight shot, or that has a few bends in it, collects lint faster and is worth checking more than once a year.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, but most homeowners cannot clean the whole run. Pulling the dryer out and vacuuming the first few feet of duct and the outside vent hood helps, and a vent brush kit reaches further than a vacuum alone. The trouble is the sections hidden in the wall or running through the attic, where lint tends to collect at the bends, and those need a contractor with the right equipment to clear.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than usual to dry, or that come out hot to the touch at the end of the cycle, are the clearest sign. Check the outside vent hood too. If the flap barely moves or you feel little to no airflow when the dryer is running, lint is blocking the path. A burning smell during a cycle means lint has built up near the heat source and should not wait.