How to Clean a Clothes Dryer Vent

If your dryer vent hasn't been cleaned in the past year or two, it probably needs it. There may even be a bird's nest in there. How do you clean it?

Steps
1. Unplug the dryer (gas & electric).
2. Turn off the gas on your gas dryer.
3. Pull the dryer out, just to the extension of your vent, (usually about 1 1/2 to 2 feet).
4. Using a screwdriver or nut driver, loosen the 4" clamp (vent clamp) on the back of the dryer.
5. Slide the vent off the dryer.
6. Reach into the hole on the back of the dryer, and pull out any lint and buildup. Reach in as far as you can.
7. Reach into vent you just took off and pull out lint from there, as well.
8. Most of the lint will build at the ends (within a foot), and not so much in the middle of the vents. If you do find a large buildup in the middle, you can use a plumbing snake to pull it out. A coat hanger or dowel can also extend your reach if the path is fairly straight.
9. Slide the clamp back over the vent, reattach the vent, tighten the clamp, and slide dryer back into place.
10. Remove the vent on the outside of the house as well. This one may have caulking around the cover, as well as screws. Use a razor knife to cut away the caulk. Vent cover will slide out, it has a sleeve about a foot long.
11. Again reach in and clean out the lint. You can reach as far as your arm will go.
12. Look into the vent to see if you missed anything. If it's out of reach use a plumber snake or other tool.
13. Turn on gas and plug unit back in.
14. Run dryer on air fluff for 10 minutes.
15. Recheck the outside vent for obstructions and reattach the outside vent.
Tips
1. While cleaning the vents, you may also want to remove the bottom front panel of the dryer and clean there also.
2. If your dryer vent is very long with several bends, you can buy a leaf blower, a rubber hose adapter that fits onto both the leaf blower end and the vent piece sticking out of the wall (mine was a 3" to 4" adapter - found in the outdoor PVC pipe area of a home and garden box store), along with some hose clamps. Clamp everything down tightly, and turn leaf blower on. It might surprise you how much lint comes out of the vent even after cleaning it with conventional methods.
3. There are devices available to clean out the entire tube?from dryer to roof?basically a brush on a flexible pole. You will not need this except for the worst cases.
4. Your dryer outlet may not be on the roof, but sticking out the side of the house. It will always vent directly into the air.
Warnings
1. Reach in and out of the vent slowly, there are many sharp screws and edges inside the vent. Use caution. Wear gloves and use tools wherever possible.
2. Clean the vent every two years - buildup can cause a fire.