If you’ve ever smelled your fabric softener outside, you can be sure your dryer vent is doing its job. Your dryer uses motion and warm air to extract the moisture out of your laundry, and it needs a way to get rid of all that damp air. Your dryer vent is a duct that connects from the dryer itself into the wall and carries the warm air to be released outside. There’s an external vent somewhere on the outside of your house. It’s usually low down on the wall, but some homes have them on the roof. If your dryer vent is low enough to reach, you should be cleaning it out regularly, just like you do the vent on the dryer itself. If you don’t clean the outside dryer vent, the buildup of lint can make your dryer inefficient, and could eventually start a fire. Once you locate your outside vent, the first thing you need to do is unplug your dryer. Then, unscrew the outer vent grille and cover on the outside vent and use a brush to clean the inside. You can also use a vacuum to suck the lint out of the vent. When you’re finished, simply put the cover back on the vent and you’re good for another year. If you never clean out your outside vent, well.........
