A homeowner in Oak Harbor, WA had sold the house, and the sale contract said the dryer vent had to be cleaned before closing. Caleb's verdict when he got there: it definitely needed to be done.
A Dryer Vent Cleaning Written Into an Oak Harbor Home Sale
This is more common than people expect. A dryer vent is one of the things a buyer's inspector checks, and a clogged one is easy to see from outside. Rather than argue about it, many sellers agree to a professional cleaning as part of the deal. It is quick, it is inexpensive next to anything else on an inspection list, and it hands the new owner a dryer that vents the way it should.
What We Found Behind the Dryer Vent Guard
The vent exits low on the wall, just above a bed of river rock, with a white plastic guard over the opening. The first photo is that guard as it came off. The grid was matted with grey lint on the inside and wrapped in long strands of hair on the outside. Very little air was getting through it.
How We Blew the Lint Out of the Dryer Vent Line
With the guard off, Caleb fed a line up the duct from the outside opening and drove the lint out. In the video from the job you can watch it come: a steady cloud of lint pouring out of the opening and piling up in the bed below, for most of a minute. What was left over came out by hand, in thick grey clumps like the one in the photos. Then the guard got cleaned and went back on, clear enough that you can see the stones through it.
Why a Dryer Vent Guard Clogs With Lint
A guard does one job well. It keeps birds and rodents out of the vent, which matters here, since we pull bird nests out of dryer vents on Whidbey Island all the time, like the eight vents full of nests we cleared in Oak Harbor. The trade-off is that the same grid that stops a bird also stops lint. Every load leaves a little behind, it mats together, hair tangles through it, and eventually the guard is the blockage. If you have one, pop it off and look at it every few months.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Oak Harbor Before You List
If you are selling in Oak Harbor or anywhere on Whidbey Island, getting the vent cleaned before the inspection saves a line item later. Book our dryer vent cleaning with the carpets, since a move-out carpet cleaning is usually on the same list.
Dryer Vent Cleaning Questions From Home Sellers
Do I need a dryer vent cleaning before selling my house in Washington?
It depends on your contract. On this Oak Harbor job the dryer vent cleaning was written into the sale agreement, so the seller had to have it done. Buyers and their inspectors often ask for it because a clogged vent is an easy fire-safety item to spot. Check your purchase and sale agreement, or ask your agent.
Why does a dryer vent guard clog?
A guard keeps birds and rodents out, but its grid also catches lint every time the dryer runs. Over time the lint mats onto the grid, and hair tangles through it, until the air cannot get out. A guard needs cleaning more often than the vent line itself.
How long does a dryer vent cleaning take?
A single home vent like this one is usually well under an hour, depending on how long the line is and how much lint has built up.
How often should dryer vents be cleaned?
Once a year is a good rule for most homes. Households with pets, long hair, or a lot of laundry, and any vent with a guard over the hood, may need it sooner.
