Alright, so the dryer was taking forever. Clothes came out damp, sometimes hot but still wet. Classic sign, right? The vent was likely clogged up with lint. I'd ignored it for too long, figured it was time to actually deal with it instead of just running the dryer longer.

Looked into hiring someone, but you know how it is, trying to save a buck where I can. Decided to get one of those dryer vent cleaning kits myself. The kind with the flexible rods you screw together and a brush on the end, powered by my trusty drill. Seemed straightforward enough.

Getting Started

First things first, safety. I unplugged the dryer completely. Didn't want any accidents. Then I pulled the dryer away from the wall. Bit of dust back there, naturally. Had to disconnect the duct hose from the back of the dryer. Simple clamp, easy enough to loosen.

Next, I went outside to find where the vent actually exits the house. Found the little flap cover. Had to clear some leaves away from it too.

The Main Event: Cleaning Time

Okay, back inside. I got the kit unpacked. Started screwing the first rod section onto the brush head. Then I attached the drill adapter piece to the other end of that first rod.

Here’s how I did it:

• Pushed the brush into the duct opening where I disconnected the dryer.
• Attached my drill to the adapter end. Set the drill to rotate clockwise, nice and slow to start.
• Fed the brush and rod further into the duct while the drill was slowly spinning. It felt a bit weird, like feeding a snake into a pipe.
• As I needed more length, I'd stop the drill, disconnect it, screw on another rod section, reconnect the drill, and keep feeding it in. Repeated this a few times. You gotta keep the drill spinning clockwise when pushing in and pulling out, otherwise the rods might unscrew inside the vent. That would be a real headache.
• I could feel resistance sometimes, probably hitting bends or thick lint patches. Just kept the drill slow and steady, pushing gently.

After feeding in quite a few rods – felt like it went pretty far – I started the withdrawal process. Kept the drill spinning clockwise, slowly pulling the whole assembly back out. And man, the lint! Chunks started coming out with the brush. It wasn't just fine dust; it was thick, matted stuff. Quite satisfying, actually.

I did this whole process – pushing in, pulling out – a couple of times from the inside. Then, just to be thorough, I went outside and did a shorter run from the exterior vent opening inwards, pulling out whatever loose stuff was near the exit.

The Aftermath and Finishing Up

It made a bit of a mess, gotta admit. Lint got everywhere around the dryer connection point. Had the vacuum cleaner ready, so cleanup wasn't too bad. Just vacuumed up all the loose fuzz.

Once I was happy that I got most of the gunk out, I reattached the duct hose to the back of the dryer, making sure the clamp was secure. Pushed the dryer back into place. Plugged it back in.

Ran a quick test cycle with a few damp towels. Seemed to dry much faster! And the air coming out of the exterior vent felt stronger too. Success!

Overall, it wasn't too complicated. Took maybe an hour, hour and a half, including the cleanup. The machine, well, the kit, did its job. Definitely cheaper than calling a pro. Worth doing it yourself if you're a bit handy and don't mind getting slightly dusty. Makes a difference in drying time and, honestly, it's a safety thing too, preventing fire hazards. Glad I finally got around to it.