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Dryer vent cleaning — replace foil before hard brushing

Dryer vent

Crushed foil accordion hose traps lint in ridges. For dryer vent cleaning when a dryer takes two cycles, replace foil with rigid metal before stiff brushing forever.

replace foil before brushing dryer vent — related household tip photo
Photo: MTO / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

When a dryer takes two cycles, stiff brushes on a crushed foil hose often pack lint into ridges. Start dryer vent cleaning by swapping foil for short rigid or semi-rigid metal — then brush the clean path.

Replace foil before hard dryer vent cleaning brushes

  1. Unplug the dryer. Pull it forward carefully and inspect the hose: crushed U-shapes, tight coils, and peeling tape mean foil is the problem.
  2. Replace accordion foil with short rigid or semi-rigid metal duct and few bends. Soft brushes belong on metal walls — not forever on foil ridges.
  3. After the new hose, brush toward the outdoor hood (or reverse-brush only on short visible runs), then run a short empty cycle and confirm the flap opens.
  4. Skip DIY brushing when the wall/ceiling path is invisible, the cabinet feels much hotter than you remember, or the breaker trips — call a technician.

Honest stop: never dump the vent into the room. Soft brush heads still cannot fix a crushed foil hose you leave in place.

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