Can I clean my dryer vent myself or should I hire a pro?
If you are like most homeowners, you have a to do list that is a mile long and never seems to end. One of the maintenance tasks that should be on every homeowner’s annual (sometimes even bi-annual) to do list is cleaning your dryer vent.
Now you might be wondering why is it important that I clean my dryer vent each year. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, nearly 17,000 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and cause nearly $236 million in property damage.
Ok, so now that we all agree that cleaning our dryer vents is an important part of our home maintenance, let’s talk about if this is a task you can do on your own or if you should hire a professional.
DIY Method
There are two ways that a homeowner can clean their dryer vent on their own, with one being pretty simple and the other being a bit more involved. Lets start with the easy way! If your dryer is located on an exterior wall and you only have a few feet, or less, of dryer vent between the wall and where it exits outside, the odds are strong you can clean this on your own without a lot of effort. To clean the dryer vent, you will want to disconnect your dryer from your transition line (the flexible duct that goes from the dryer to the wall) and take it outside for cleaning. If you have an electric leaf blower, you can bring the leaf blower inside and force air through your dryer vent and blow the lint outside. Once that is done, go back outside and do the same with the transition line. Check to make sure you got all of the lint out, reconnect everything and viola, you are all done.
>>Learn More: Air Duct Cleaning Questions Answered
The second way to clean your dryer vent is for dryer vents that are rather long. Most of the time this is how you will need to clean your dryer vent if it not on an exterior wall. This method will require you going to your local hardware store and purchasing a dryer vent cleaning kit. Make sure you have a drill with fully charged batteries before heading to the store. Once back home, you will disconnect the dryer from the transition line and follow the instructions on your dryer vent cleaning kit to clean the vent. Make sure to have a good shop-vac handy to clean up the lint that will come out as you clean. This part can get a little messy so make sure you have all of your clean clothes put away before starting! Once the cleaning is complete, you can clean the transition line and reconnect everything.
Professional Method
When you hire a professional dryer vent cleaning company they will clean your dryer vent in one of two ways. They will either use high-powered compressed air and powerful vacuum collectors to break the lint free and collect it in the vacuum or they will use a high-powered vacuum and rotary cleaning tools to clean the dryer vent.
Professional dryer vent cleaning should take less than an hour for the company to complete and should cost between $100-$175.00
>>More Info: What You Need to Know About Dryer Vent Cleaning
Professional Advantages
There are a few reasons why a homeowner may want a professional to clean their dryer vent instead of cleaning it on their own. One of the biggest advantages of using a professional is they are better prepared for challenges that a homeowner might not be able to handle. One of these examples is a clog or a birds nest in your dryer vent. Professional dryer vent cleaning companies have the tools and experience to break through clogs and remove birds nests while the DIY kits won’t be able to do the same. The second advantage of hiring a pro is you can spend that time doing something you actually want to do! Let’s face it, free time is like gold and paying $100-$175 to get more free time is well worth it!
So if you are thinking about cleaning your dryer vent yourself, we would recommend tackling this project only if your dryer is located on an exterior wall and the vent is less than a few feet long. If the dryer is on an interior wall or you have a long dryer vent run, leave it to the pro’s and go do something fun with the time you just saved.
About AmeriClean
Since 1986, AmeriClean has helped home and business owners in Northwest Indiana keep their properties looking like new. Whether you need carpet, duct or rug cleaning, or have been impacted by a fire, water or mold damage, AmeriClean is here to help!
