Dryer Vent Cleaning in Missoula, MT
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Missoula 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
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has a long trip through the vent before it reaches outside. Winter nights here average 17°F from December through February, and a vent run that cold cools that warm air fast. Moisture drops out of it, the vent walls turn damp, and lint that would otherwise blow through sticks right to them.
Over a winter that runs from September through June, that lint builds into a clog. A clogged vent traps heat and moisture behind it, and that is what leads to a dryer that takes two cycles to dry a load, or worse, a vent fire.
- 17°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 for most households. If you run large loads often, or if you have noticed laundry taking longer to dry, clean it more often than that. Lint builds up inside the vent run itself, not just the trap, and a year is about how long it takes to narrow the airflow enough to matter.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the lint trap and the first few feet of duct behind the dryer yourself, and you should do that often. The rest of the run is harder to reach, especially where it bends or where it exits through the wall or roof, and a vacuum from your end will not pull lint out of a duct that long. A contractor uses a brush and rod system built to clear the whole run, including the vent hood outside.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that come out hot but still damp, a dryer that runs longer than it used to, or a burning smell partway through a cycle. Check the outside vent hood too. If the flap barely moves or lint is visible around it while the dryer runs, air is not making it out the way it should.