Dryer Vent Cleaning in Tupelo, MS
Tell us about your home, and a licensed contractor who covers Lee County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Cold vents catch more lint
Your dryer pushes out warm, damp air, and that air has to travel through a vent that runs through cold space before it reaches outside. On winter nights that average 34°F here, that vent stays cold from November through March. Warm exhaust hitting cold metal cools fast, and the moisture in it beads up on the walls of the vent. Lint sticks to a damp surface far more than a dry one, so the buildup packs in tighter right where the vent is coldest.
A vent that's losing airflow to lint takes longer to clear the moisture out of your dryer's exhaust, which only feeds the problem. Left alone, the blockage grows until the dryer is struggling to push air out at all.
- 34°F
- the average winter night, and cold vents catch damp lint
- 5 months
- November through March, the vent stays cold
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
- Once a year for most households. If you run the dryer for large loads often, or the vent run is long or has several bends, have it checked more often than that. Lint builds up inside the duct even when the lint trap is cleaned every load, because not everything gets caught.
- Can I clean my dryer vent myself?
- You can clean the part you can reach, but that is usually just the first few feet. Most of a vent run travels through the wall and out to a hood on the outside of the house, and lint collects along the whole length, not just at the ends. A contractor uses a brush and vacuum system built to clear the full run, including the outside hood, which matters here since wind can pack debris into it too.
- What are the signs of a clogged dryer vent?
- Clothes that take longer than usual to dry, or come out hotter than normal, are the first sign. Check the outside vent hood while the dryer is running. Weak airflow there, or a flap that barely moves, means the duct is likely restricted. A burning smell or a dryer that shuts off partway through a cycle means the blockage has gone further and needs attention soon.