Man Upcycles Old Soap Bottles To Make Cleaning Dryer Vents A Breeze

When you finish a load in the dryer and pull out the lint trap to clean it, you might be surprised by how much lint there is. That could lead you to a common misconception, which is that the trap catches all the lint. It doesn't. A surprisingly large amount (as much as 75%, according to the folks at Mr. Appliance), bypasses the trap and ends up in the vent. Some of the lint gets stuck, creating a potential exhaust obstruction that can damage the dryer and possibly start a fire. That's why you should clean your dryer vent regularly, and a simple hack described by Facebook user RLL Woodworks and DIY uses a plastic soap bottle to make this job easier, so you're more likely to do it. 

Typical vent-cleaning tools include a brush with flexible extensions that connects to a drill, and a wet/dry vacuum to suck out the material that the brush loosens from sides of the vent. The plastic bottle allows you to use these tools simultaneously instead of separately. If the bottle fits tightly into the vent opening or you seal it with tape, it also improves suction and makes cleaning more efficient.

While the soap bottle used in the video fits that particular vent opening, it wouldn't necessarily work for every opening. Sometimes the vent has a louvered cover you must remove, and behind it, the vent duct has a circular cross section for which a cylindrical soap or soda bottle might be a better fit. 

Once you've found a plastic bottle that fits snugly into the dryer vent opening outside, prepare it by cutting off the bottom and the spout with a utility knife. After cutting off the spout, make an opening large enough for the vacuum nozzle, then cut another hole next to it just large enough for the brush extension rod. The closer you can make the diameter of the smaller hole to the diameter of the rod, the better this hack will work, but it doesn't have to be exact. Finish up by poking the vacuum nozzle through the larger hole and securing it with duct tape.  

When it's time to clean the vent, fit the brush extension rod through the smaller hole, and insert the plastic bottle into the vent opening. To make things really easy on yourself while improving efficiency, tape the bottle to the vent. This increases suction and leaves one hand free. Turn the vacuum on and push in the brush until it won't go any further. Watch as all the lint travels through the bottle into the vacuum canister, and hardly any of it goes anywhere else. 

Not all vent openings have the same shape, so you may have to search a bit to find the right plastic bottle. Also, if the vent opening has a louvered hood, you'll have to unscrew and remove that before cleaning the vent.