Is Your Dryer Working Overtime? Why Cleaning the Vent Is the Most Overlooked Chore in the House
If your dryer seems to take two cycles to do the job it used to do in one, the machine itself is probably not the problem. In most Canadian homes, the real culprit is hiding behind the wall: a lint-clogged dryer vent. It's one of the easiest maintenance jobs to ignore — and one of the most expensive to keep ignoring.
Why a clogged vent matters more than you think
Every load of laundry sheds lint, and the screen inside your door only catches a fraction of it. The rest travels through the exhaust duct toward the outside of your house. Over months and years, that duct narrows like a clogged artery. The consequences add up:
- Longer drying times. Restricted airflow means moisture has nowhere to go. A load that should take 45 minutes stretches to 90, doubling the energy used per load.
- Higher hydro bills. The dryer is already one of the biggest energy users in your home. Running it twice as long for every load shows up on your bill fast.
- A shorter lifespan for your dryer. Heating elements, thermostats, and motors all work harder against a blocked duct. That extra strain is a leading cause of premature breakdowns.
- Fire risk. Lint is extremely flammable, and dryer fires are consistently among the top causes of residential fires in Canada. A hot element plus a duct packed with lint is exactly how they start.
The warning signs
Your dryer will usually tell you the vent needs attention. Watch for: clothes that are still damp after a full cycle, a laundry room that gets noticeably hot and humid while the dryer runs, a burning or musty smell, an outside vent flap that barely opens when the dryer is on, or clothes that come out hotter than usual. Any one of these is a sign to check the duct — two or more means stop and clean it now.
How to clean the vent yourself
1. Unplug and pull the dryer out. Disconnect the duct from the back of the machine. For gas dryers, be careful not to strain the gas line — if in doubt, call a pro.
2. Vacuum both ends. Use a shop vac or vacuum hose attachment to pull lint out of the dryer's exhaust port and the duct opening in the wall.
3. Brush the full duct run. A dryer vent brush kit (about $25–$40 at any hardware store) comes with flexible rods that snake through the duct. Work it through from inside, then from the outside vent, rotating as you go.
4. Clear the exterior hood. Outside, remove the vent cover, clear any lint, nests, or debris, and make sure the flap moves freely.
5. Reconnect and test. Reattach the duct, push the dryer back (without crushing the duct), and run it empty on air-dry for a few minutes. You should feel strong, steady airflow at the outside vent.
Do this once a year at minimum — every six months if your household runs daily loads or you have pets. And while you're back there, swap any white plastic or foil accordion duct for rigid or semi-rigid metal. Plastic duct traps far more lint and is no longer permitted by code in most jurisdictions.
When cleaning isn't enough
If you've cleaned the vent and your dryer still underperforms — weak heat, loud rattles, or cycles that never finish — it may simply be at the end of its road. The good news: replacing it doesn't have to cost big-box prices. At Oxbury Appliances, our open-box and factory refurbished dryers deliver the same performance as new for hundreds less, and every unit is inspected before it leaves our warehouse.