It's a gray Saturday in Indianapolis, and the towels have gone around twice and still feel damp. Clean the lint filter every time you dry a load, and have the dryer vent cleaned at least once a year: that's the advice from the National Fire Protection Association.
Those damp towels matter. When clothes take longer than normal to dry, that's your sign to clean the vent sooner.
Here's why it's worth the bother. Not cleaning is the top cause of dryer fires, the NFPA says, behind about a third of them.
How long can you go without cleaning a dryer vent?
About a year, says the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), and less if your clothes start taking longer than normal to dry.
That's the whole rule. One load, one filter clean. One year, one vent clean, unless the dryer tells you sooner by drying slowly.
Read the exact wording
"clean the lint filter before or after each load of laundry. … Once a year, or more often if you notice that it is taking longer than normal for your clothes to dry, clean lint out of the vent pipe"
What to clean, and how often
| What to clean | How often | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Lint filter | Before or after each load | NFPA |
| Lint filter | Before and after each cycle | U.S. Fire Administration |
| Vent pipe | Once a year | NFPA |
| Exhaust system | At least once a year | GE install guide, GTD42EASJWW |
| Vent pipe, sooner | When clothes take longer than normal to dry | NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration |
| Inside the dryer, and the whole vent system | "Periodically," by trained service people | U.S. Fire Administration |
What about "every 3 to 6 months"?
You'll see that on some websites. Neither the NFPA nor the U.S. Fire Administration gives that number for the vent. The Fire Administration's 6-month figure is for scrubbing the lint filter with a nylon brush. The NFPA says once a year, or sooner if drying slows. The Fire Administration gives no set time for the vent. It says "periodically," and sooner if drying slows.
How do I know if my dryer vent needs cleaning?
The clearest sign is clothes that take longer than normal to dry, and both the NFPA and the U.S. Fire Administration name it. The Consumer Product Safety Commission adds clothes that are still damp at the end of a normal cycle, and the Fire Administration adds clothes that feel hotter than usual when the cycle ends. Then there's the calendar. If it's been a year, it's time.
A quick check you can do today
- Time a load. If a normal load takes longer to dry than it used to, the vent is due.
- Find the date. Write down when the vent was last cleaned. If nobody knows, treat it as due.
- Go outside while the dryer runs. The flap on the outside end of the vent should open.
- In winter, look for snow. It shouldn't be covering that flap.
- Clean the lint filter. Every load, before or after.
The flap and the snow come straight from the NFPA's tip sheet, which also says to make sure nothing blocks the vent pipe.
Read the exact wording
"Make sure the air exhaust vent pipe is not restricted and the outdoor vent flap will open when the dryer is operating." … "Check the outdoor vent flap to make sure it is not covered by snow."
Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
Yes. The NFPA's tip sheet says you can clean the lint out of the vent pipe yourself, or have a lint removal service do it for you.
Read the exact wording
"clean lint out of the vent pipe or have a dryer lint removal service do it for you."
The U.S. Fire Administration draws a line at the inside of the dryer and the vent system, though.
Here's how the jobs split up.
The lint filter: yours
Clean it every load. The NFPA says before or after, and the U.S. Fire Administration says before and after each cycle. Nobody else is going to do this one for you.
The vent pipe: yours or a pro's
The NFPA is fine with either, while the Fire Administration would have trained service people do it. If you do it yourself, unplug the dryer first. On a gas dryer, the NFPA says to have a qualified professional check that the gas line and connection are intact and free of leaks, and the Fire Administration says to have that done every year. The job is to get the lint out of the pipe, and the deadline is once a year or sooner if drying slows down.
The inside of the dryer: a pro's
The U.S. Fire Administration says trained service people should clean the inside of the dryer and the vent system now and then. That's the part to hand off.
Read the exact wording
"The interior of the dryer and venting system should be serviced and cleaned periodically by qualified service personnel, especially if it is taking longer than normal for clothes to dry."
From U.S. Fire Administration, Clothes Dryer Fires in Residential Buildings
What happens if you don't clean your dryer vent?
You raise your risk of a dryer fire. Not cleaning the dryer, mostly lint build-up, is the top cause of them.
NFPA research found that from 2014 to 2018, dryers played a part in about 13,820 home fires a year. Those fires caused about 7 deaths, 344 injuries and $233 million in damage a year. About one in three came from not cleaning.
Read the exact wording
"In 2014-2018, local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 13,820 home structure fires per year in which dryers were involved in the ignition. … One-third (32 percent) of dryer fires were caused by a failure to clean."
An older U.S. Fire Administration report, on 2008 to 2010, found the same thing, with failure to clean at the top of the list at 34 percent.
That's a lot of risk to carry for a job you only need to do once a year.
Check the length, too. If your vent is long or has a lot of bends, check it against Indiana's dryer vent length rule.
How much does it cost to clean a dryer vent in Indianapolis?
It depends on the company and the job, and we don't print a price we haven't checked. Ask for the price before anyone starts, and ask what it covers: the vent pipe only, or the inside of the dryer too.
What to have ready when you call
A few notes make the call quicker:
- The last cleaning: the date, if you know it.
- Drying time: how long a normal load takes now, and whether that's changed.
- The outside end: where the vent comes out of the house.
- The run: about how long it is, and how many bends it has.
- Your dryer: the make and model, and whether it's gas or electric.
To see who answers the number on this page, and what to expect when you call, read how repair calls work on this site.