Dryer Lint Trap Cleaning How-To

Dryer lint trap cleaning

Confession: the first time I did my own laundry was in college…

Yep, my mom did all of my laundry for me until I hit age 18 (thanks mom!). She gave me a few simple laundry lessons before I left for school and I stumbled my way through the rest. It wasn’t until I started earning my own money and could afford nicer clothing (goodbye Forever 21)  that I became better versed in the art of proper clothing care. I learned quickly that if you take good care of your washer/dryer, then your washer/dryer will take good care of your clothes.

One of the first lessons I learned was the importance of a thoroughly washed lint screen (especially if you like to use dryer sheets!).

That’s right – simply removing the lint is not enough to keep the screen clean. After some time, the lint screen can develop a film that that will prevent proper air flow regardless of whether or not you remove the lint after every drying cycle. Properly cleaning the lint screen will both increase your dryer’s energy efficiency AND reduce the risk of your dryer becoming a fire hazard. Scary!

Luckily, washing the screen is super easy and takes only a few minutes.

Step 1: Remove the lint from the lint screen

How to Clean a Dryer Lint Screen

Step 2: Test the air flow of your lint screen by pouring water over it. You want the water to pour straight through – if you see water pooling on the screen or scattering through the screen like rainfall, you know it’s time for cleaning.

Clean your dryer lint trap with soap and water

Step 3: Use a sponge and some soap to scrub the lint screen on both sides.

Dryer lint trap cleaning to prevent fire hazard

Step 4: Test the water flow again. This time there should not be any pools of water and the water should flow straight through the screen.How to Clean a Dryer Lint Trap

Step 5: Dry the lint screen completely before placing it back in your dryer.

Cleaning a dryer lint trap

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *