Dryer Vent Cleaning Calculator
Enter your household and laundry volume. The calculator sets the months between full vent brush-outs - and the drying-time symptom that means the vent is already packed.
The lint trap catches a quarter of what a dryer produces; the rest packs the vent run until the machine needs two cycles per load - which is the fire warning, not an appliance problem. US fire services answer about 2,900 dryer fires a year, most traced to vents nobody brushed.
How to use
- Household size and weekly loads - volume drives lint.
- Vent run: short and straight builds lint slowly; long or bendy builds it twice as fast.
- Read the months line and check the symptom: two cycles per load means brush now. Updates live.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
Every 6 months for long or bendy runs, up to 12 for short straight wall exits - scaled to laundry volume, since eight loads a week packs lint twice as fast as three. The symptom that overrides any schedule: a load needing a second cycle means brush it now.
Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
Yes - a 25-dollar brush kit on a drill does the full run in about twenty minutes: pull the machine forward, brush from both ends, vacuum the housing, then run the dryer empty and confirm strong airflow at the outside hood. Professional cleanings charge 100-200 for the same pass.
How do I know my dryer vent is clogged?
Three signs in order: loads need a second cycle, the top of the dryer runs hot, and the outside hood flap barely moves when the dryer runs. Any one of them means lint has narrowed the vent - the same condition behind most of the roughly 2,900 dryer fires a year.
Are dryer fires actually common?
About 2,900 a year in the US, with failure-to-clean the leading factor - the fires start behind the machine where the vent bends, not in the drum. The 25-dollar brush kit and a quarterly trap wash cover the risk for the price of one takeout order.