Dryer Vent Cleaning

At VacMan, air duct and dryer vent cleaning are the two services we are passionate about. Everyone knows that air is pushed through your HVAC unit, into your house and subsequently, into your lungs. Ensuring your air ducts are clean just makes sense. But often times, people forget, even neglect the dryer vent.

Located in the laundry room, your dryer is directly connected to your dryer vent. When you dry your clothing, warm/hot air is pushed through the dryer and into the dryer vent where it is vented outside your home.

We clean dryer vents in the following cities: South Bend, Mishawaka, Granger, Elkhart, Goshen, Bremen, Nappannee, Plymouth, Fort Wayne, Bluffton, Columbia City, Decatur, Warsaw, Winona Lake and surrounding areas.

Our typical phone call for cleaning is usually because of damp clothes. You run the dryer for the allotted time but when the buzzer sounds, your clothing doesn’t feel quite dry. This is the first sign of a problem! There are many reasons why this could be occurring. It could be due to your lint trap inside your dryer being full or clogged. Another reason might your hood is clogged, or even has a bird nest in it! With the dryer running, is hot air coming from the vent? Can you see a lint build up around the vent? The goal of this vent is to evacuate the hot air produced by your dryer. Lint buildup can happen on the exterior vent and prevent your dryer from working properly. Check this before you call us!

The second reason your clothes could be damp is the dryer duct, the piece of metal tubing on the back side of you dryer could be blocked. Head to your laundry room with a screwdriver and simply loosen the clamp holding the soft foil style vent to your duct and see if there is a blockage or lint buildup. Dryer ducts are prone to clogging here and in elbow joints, simply remove any blockages that you can see, reinstall the dryer vent to the clothes dryer and test again.

If these fixes didn’t work, you might have bigger issues around your dryer vent. A service call to us can help determine if you have a blockage somewhere in your hose that you cannot access. Rest assured, we will not only find it, but clean your dryer, the hose and the exterior dryer vents.

Another reason we get calls for dryer vent cleaning is that the news reports a fire occurred and the cause is linked back to a clogged dryer vent system. Routine maintenance should be done on your dryer vent and lint is a fire hazard and can cause what the news media deems a “dryer fire”. All clothes dryers should be checked every year by the homeowner, and we recommend that you call a company like VacMan to come out to clean your dryer and the wall ducts that you can’t see, at least every 3 years.

Clogged vents are the number one reason an electric dryer or gas dryer catch fire. Clean your dryer vent to protect your family from disaster! Dryer ducts and dryer vent clogged with lint can spontaneously catch fire when you run your dryer, and before you know it, your house is engulfed in flames. This is why they say to never run your dryer at night, because if this happens when you and your family are sleeping, it could spell disaster. The bottom line, clean your dryer vent.

Purchasing a dryer vent cleaning kit from your local hardware store is an option if you are a do it yourself kind of person, but they don’t typical reach into your wall duct like our system does. (If your lint trap is on a second or third floor, you might need to call a company to help you) Other items you can and should do regularly are:

Clean your lint filter after every use of you dryer. Clear lodged debris in your dryer vent system. If possible, make sure the outside dryer vent is clear of lint/obstruction. And lastly, if there is every a burning smell coming from your dryer or the smell of gas (gas leak), shut off the dryer and leave your house immediately, then, call emergency services to your location.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s latest numbers (published July, 2021) from 2016-2018, there were on average 6,900 dryer fires resulting in 190 injuries which accumulated 108 million in property loss per year. The vast majority of these fires are preventable with the proper preventive maintenance!

Check out the graphic to learn how VacMan does your cleaning, right!

Step 1 – Protect the dyer by disconnecting the vent during the cleaning process and cover the top of the dryer with a non-scratch pad.

Step 2 – Collect lint and debris from inside the dryer ducting with triple motor HEP (high efficiency particulate air) vacuum.

Step 3 – Dislodge and move lint, hair and debris to HEPA vacuum with high powered compressed air tools operated by certified technicians.

Step 4 – Inspect and measure air flow from where the vent exhausts outside. Most cleanings can be done from the inside. Cleaning may also need to be done from the outside if there are obstructions on the outside vent hood.

Step 5 – Cleaning from the back of the dryer or the lowest point of the vent is a must. It insures the ducting is in good condition and thoroughly cleaned.

Before we do any work at your home, we will always assess the situation. Why did you call. Where is the laundry room at and where is the dryer vented? Did you know that 10% of the time, after our assessment we find that the dryer is not venting outside, but inside a wall or attic space? It sounds crazy, but it happens all too often.

Why? First, it’s the law, and second, because improper venting is so serious, think fire! Proper venting of your dryer isn’t a full house remodel, but running new ducting, installing a new vent hood on the exterior of your home could cost upwards of $700. And while no one likes unexpected home expenses, at least you will rest knowing that catching this now could have saved you from a disaster later. It will also give you back time lost by not having to wait for your clothes to go through the drying cycles several times.

When you hire VacMan to perform your cleaning, you become part of our family. And as all good families know, pictures are valuable! That’s why we take before and after pics of every job, so that you can rest assured your dryer ducts where cleaned properly. In our over 26 years of service, we have cleaned duct work in over 10000 homes! Below is a before and after pic that demonstrate the excellence of our work. If you are on a desktop, use your mouse to slide the center bar to uncover the clean duct work!

Don’t take our word for it, our customers say it all!

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH ! ! ! I am very happy with your service. I want to let you know that I previously made an appointment with a local company, but cancelled it after speaking with your receptionist and I’m glad I did.”
– Tara Yeiter

“Your guys were very thorough – did not cut corners. Thank you.”
– Mark & Becky Damore

“Thank you. I was surprised how the whole house smelled fresher. Matt did not make me feel stupid when I asked questions.”
– Sharon Garver

“It’s nice that you take your time to do a good job and you care! Thank you, I will tell everyone to call you.”
– Bruce & Cathie Comer

You got questions, we got answers.

Q: Can I clean my dryer vents myself?
A: Yes you can, but you can also do more damage than good. Improper cleaning could lead to a vent getting punctured or a even worse, you think your vent is clean but you really just pushed the lint deeper into the ducting.

Q: How often should a dryer vent be cleaned?
A: We recommend that your dryer be checked annually.

Q: What does it cost to have my dryer vent cleaned?
A: Prices vary depending on a multitude of factors. Typically, you can expect to pay $129-$169 for an average/normal service.

Remember, If it’s in your dryer… it could cause a fire, so call the team you can trust…call Vacman!