How to Save Money on Dryer Repair

Yesterday, I finally got the dryer repairman over to our house. For the past few weeks I've had to run the drying cycle twice to get anything dry. He checked out the dryer for about five minutes then explained that the problem was as simple as clearing the dryer's exhaust flap. He spent another two minutes cleaning out the lint and then handed me a bill for seventy-five dollars. Here's what he showed me about cleaning out the dryer vent flap. It only takes a few minutes and you may save yourself a seventy-five dollar service call.

Find Your Dryer Flap

I didn't really know what a dryer flap was before the repairman pointed it out to me. Walk outside of your home and check out the wall directly behind you're dryer. There should be a little metal flap that hangs over a vent hole. This dryer vent pumps the hot air from the dryer and vents it outside. As it pumps air out, it takes some of your clothes' lint with it. Over time, that lint blocks the vent and dryers with blocked vents don't dry clothes well.

Clean out the Lint

This is the easy part. He literally just lifted the flap and jostled his screwdriver around in the opening to loosen the lint. Then he pulled it out (and dumped it on the grass). He didn't seem to mind the millions of dust particles flying around, but I'd wrap a bandana around my face for this part. He jiggled the flap some more, peered in with a flashlight to make sure there wasn't any lint trapped around the hinges and then that was it.

My dryer was in working order after that, but my OCD made me go out there with the Shop Vac and extension cord and suck around in the vent compartment to make sure that everything was gone.

According to the repairman, I should have been cleaning out the dryer vent flap at least once a year. Oops. So even if your dryer isn't giving you trouble, you should head out there and take a look. Your towels will be fluffier and you may just save some money on your energy bill.