How to Clean Dryers – Get the Lint Out!!

Okay friends, now that your washers are sparkling clean, it’s time to focus on your dryers. (If your washer isn’t clean, relax and check out this article) Dryers don’t get moldy, but they do fill up with lint. To reduce the amount of lint in your dryer, clean out your lint trap every time you use it.

It’s also a major fire hazard if you let it build up, and it is one of the leading causes of house fires.

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Lint

Start with your lint trap. To clean it, remove all of the lint on the screen, vacuum (Canada) (USA) it off and bring it to the sink. Run it under water and use a scrub brush to remove any stuck dust gently. Let it sit and dry completely before replacing it. 

Before air drying, look into the lint trap slot it came from. It tends to get full of fuzz. If you have a small enough vacuum head, vacuum out as much of it as possible. (Or you can buy this awesome vacuum attachment (Canada) (USA) to really get all of that lint out.) 
If you can, pull out your dryer and suck up all the lint and dust stuck behind and under it. You’ll be amazed by what you find back here. I’m talking about lint, fuzz, crumbs, coins, wrappers, old detergent spills, pencils, paperclips…the whole gamut of crud.

Not only is this crud nasty, but lint trapped behind the machines can also be a fire hazard – so this is important. Get someone to help you pull your machine out and be cautious not to scratch your floors. 

Don’t forget to clean out the dryer hose every six months too! To do this, unplug the dryer and remove the hose from the back of the machine. Vacuum out all the lint from the hose and duct and place it back in the machine. (Check your manual for specific instructions for your dryer model.) When vacuuming out the hose, be careful not to rip or tear the aluminum sheathing. Puncturing this material can cause even more lint to accumulate behind your dryer. It can also make your dryer less efficient.

If you can access it, it’s also important to check the vent at the exterior of your house. You can get these professionally cleaned, too. If nothing else, use your fingers to remove any clumps of lint that may have accumulated in or around the vent. It’s also a good idea to remove any obstructions that prevent the vent from discharging properly. This includes weeds or shrubs that may have grown into the vent over time.

Drum 

Now for the drum. Dryers can get black scuff marks on the inside of the drum and the interior of the door. Grab a slightly damp Mr. Clean® Magic Eraser and scrub the spots. You’ll see them instantly lift and disappear. (Is there anything a magic eraser can’t do?!)

Dryer sheets tend to leave a film on the drum as well so grab a clean cloth with warm water and Dawn® dish soap on it and give the drum a full wipe and let it dry. Your drum should look brand new! (While I’m a perfectionist…and you probably are, too…don’t fret if you can’t get the inside of your drum perfect. This method should give you a close-to-perfect result, but don’t spend hours on this project. Ain’t nobody coming into your house and inspecting the inside of your dryer! And if they are, well, you need some new house guests.)

Exterior of Machine

Vacuum around and underneath the machine, wipe the exterior with water and Tide® and polish the door and any shiny knobs with Windex®.

Now that your dryer is sparkling like new, your machine won’t just look pretty – your clothes will dry much better. 

Let’s Get to Cleaning

If you’re like most, you want to keep a clean house, but you just don’t know where to start. There are thousands of resources online and most of it feels like click-baity nonsense that doesn’t actually give you results.

Want the truth? Keeping your house clean isn’t as hard as you think. All you need are a few basic supplies, the know-how, and a little consistency.

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• Georgia @GoCleanCo