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Cleaning your home’s dryer vent can help reduce the risk of fire, increase energy efficiency, and speed up drying times. Our product review will cover all aspects of the Linteater dryer vent cleaning kit, including assembly, usage, and product features.
Easy to Assemble
Assembling the Linteater dryer vent cleaning kit takes just minutes! The rods screw into each other with little resistance. The flexible rods can bend freely, allowing you to clean curved vents with ease.
Once the rods are assembled, select which brush you want to use. The auger brush is great for loosening lint compacted against the sides of the dryer vent walls. The blockage removal tool is perfect for getting through tough clogs.
As the name implies, the lint brush (below) helps loosen lint and remove it from the vent. I ended up using both the auger and lint brushes to clean my home’s dryer vent.
The vacuum and dryer adapters are ideal for cleaning in and around the physical dryer unit itself. Odds are you won’t need all 12 feet though! The lint brush makes cleaning the inside of the dryer lint trap easy too.
If you happen to need more than 12 feet of rod length, there’s an extra 12-foot Linteater extension kit available for purchase.
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Simple to Use
Before you insert the Linteater dryer vent cleaning tool, it’s important to determine which brush you need. Start by turning the dryer on a normal cycle.
If there’s no air flow, then the dryer vent is completely clogged. If there’s some air flow, you can proceed with the normal brush.
Note that you can attach a shop-vac and remove the lint as you loosen it. Make sure to stop the dryer from running before you insert the rods and brush!
Connect one end of the flexible rod to your drill in place of a drill bit. Spin the brush forward in a clockwise direction. Once you reach the end of the dryer vent, remove the tool by spinning the rods clockwise and removing the drill by stepping backwards.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT set the drill to reverse (counterclockwise) or you could unscrew the rods. If the rods come unscrewed, you’ll end up having to remove part of the vent to get them out.
Once the dryer vent cleaning tool is removed, sweep up any loosened or remaining lint. To see if there’s still a blockage within the vent, start the dryer on a normal cycle.
Fun fact: I purchased this kit after moving to a new home. The previous homeowner hadn’t cleaned the full length of the dryer vent in 13 years.
This tool was a blessing in disguise. Once we blasted through the length of the vent (around 11 feet, so the 12-foot rod was just enough), getting the lint out was easy. The vacuum adapter made it take no time at all!
If you don’t have a vacuum, you can use the dryer adapter to remove the lint. Speaking from experience, this tool truly is a one-stop package for cleaning your dryer vent. I highly recommend it to every homeowner.
Features and Specifications
Overall, the Linteater dryer vent cleaning kit is easy to assembly. Putting the entire tool together takes less than 10 minutes. It’s an affordable addition to any homeowner’s toolbox.
It’s easy to use too. Attach the rod to a power drill, insert the brush into the dryer vent, and power it forward. Pull back on the drill to remove it. DO NOT put the drill in reverse or you risk disconnecting the rods in the vent
The standard package includes:
- Four 3-foot-long flexible rods
- Vacuum adapter
- 4-inch auger brush
- Lint trap brush
- Dryer adapter
- Blockage removal tool
The Linteater dryer vent cleaning kit isn’t just useful for getting lint out of your dryer vent. It can be used for cleaning other tight spaces as well. According to the box, other areas where this tool can be used include:
- Under refrigerators
- Inside downspouts
- Beneath baseboard heating vents
- In pellet stove vents
- Inside 4-inch-wide bathroom exhaust vents
Reasons to Clean Your Dryer Vent
Cleaning your dryer vent shouldn’t just be an “I’ll get to it” home maintenance item. Check out these important reasons to clean your dryer vent twice a year!
Prevent Dryer Fires
Between 2010 and 2014, fire departments throughout the United States responded to nearly 16,000 home fires involving clothes dryers and washers. More than 90% of all fires involved the clothes dryer.
The leading causes of ignition in dryer fires include:
- Lint, dust, and fiber buildup (26%)
- Clothing (26%)
- Wire and cable insulation
- Housing or casings
- Drive belt
You can reduce the risk of a dryer fire in your home by more than 25% just by cleaning the dryer vent!
Check out the full report from the National Fire Protection Association here. The U.S. Fire Administration has a long list of tips to help further reduce the risk of dyer fires.
Dry Clothes Faster
Naturally, cleaning the dryer vent reduces lint buildup and increases air flow. Since the air can move more freely, it doesn’t take as long to dry a load of clothes.
Removing lint from the filter screen can help prevent dryer fires and keep the dryer running at peak efficiency, too.
Save Energy
Since cleaning the dryer vent causes clothes to dry faster, it should be obvious it saves energy too! That can significantly reduce your gas and electric bills if you wash and dry clothes often.
Clogged dryer vents can use up to three times the energy of a pristine dryer vent. Investing a little money in a DIY tool can help you save for years to come!
Conclusion
To summarize, the Linteater dryer vent cleaning kit is easy to assemble and use. It can save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars over the next few years in energy costs. This product comes with everything you need to successfully clean your dryer vent – and then some!
Have questions about this cleaning tool? Ask in the comments below or let us know on Facebook!