Maintaining a clean dryer is a bit more difficult than maintaining a clean washing machine; however, it’s also much more important to keep your dryer clean because dirty dryers can lead to fires. Lint is flammable, and if it touches a heating coil, well, you know what happens next.

First, unplug your dryer and empty your lint trap. You may also take the discharge hose out from the back of the dryer (the silver elephant trunk lookalike) & give it a good shake to remove the debris.

Since all dryers are created differently, we recommend consulting your manufacturer’s instructions for the exact directions on the next step.

Essentially, you want to unscrew the back panel and pop it off. After that, you’ll likely see lint on the base in the canal leading to your discharge line & throughout the innards of your machine. Vacuum this up, and use a brush attachment or a crevice tool to get into those hard to reach areas.

Vacuum the lint trap itself, and if you can remove part of the lint trap by unscrewing it to get to the innards, do it. You’ll find a bunch of dust. Make sure you keep those screws separate so you don’t mistakenly vacuum any of them up.

Vacuum anything left behind in the drum, too.

Once you’ve completed these steps, give it a quick wipe down using an all-purpose cleaner and cloth. Then, put everything back together, including panels and hoses. Plug it back in and you’re good to go.

You’re all done! You’ll notice your dryer will do much hotter and more effective cycles, not to mention, your machine will be much safer. We suggest repeating the above steps about every 3 – 6 months.

*One, last tip: Clean your lint filter after each use to avoid a buildup of lint which, as you know, poses a serious fire risk.

If you haven’t already, be sure to take a look at our How To Maintain Your Washing Machine blog!