Dryer Vent Cleaning in Oregon City, OR
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Clackamas 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
Every load of laundry pushes warm, damp air out through the vent. On a night near freezing, that air cools fast against the walls of the duct, and the moisture in it turns to dampness on the metal. Lint does not just blow through a vent like that. It sticks.
Over a winter that runs from December through February at 32 degrees, layer after layer builds up the same way. A vent narrowed by lint pushes exhaust out slower, and some of that warm, damp air has nowhere to go but back into the house.
- 32°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 10 months
- September through June, 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 general rule. Lint builds up along the vent run every time you dry a load, and a year of that is usually enough to start slowing the airflow. A contractor can tell you if your setup needs it more often once they see the length and shape of the run.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet behind the dryer yourself, but that is not the whole vent. The rest of the run goes through the wall and out to a hood outside, often with bends you cannot reach or see into. A contractor uses a brush and vacuum sized for the full length of the duct, which is the only way to know it is actually clear end to end.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than they used to, or come out hot to the touch instead of just warm, are the first sign. You may also notice the dryer itself running hotter, a burning smell, or less air coming out of the vent hood outside when the dryer is on. Lint gathering around the lint trap door or the outside vent flap is another sign worth checking.