Cleaning the lint screen after every load catches most of what comes off your clothes. Some lint still makes its way through or around the screen.
Pull the screen out and look down into the opening. You may find lint clinging to the sides or sitting farther down where your fingers and a regular vacuum nozzle cannot reach. Because it is below the screen, it can stay there unnoticed.
Look Below the Lint Screen
Unplug the dryer before putting a cleaning tool into the lint-trap opening.
Use a flashlight to see what is inside. Loose lint close to the top may come out easily with a vacuum crevice tool. If your vacuum can reach it without forcing the nozzle into the opening, that may be all you need.
Lint farther down is more awkward. The opening can be narrow enough that an ordinary nozzle stops well above the buildup. Trying to grab it from the top can also send loose pieces farther down.
How to Clean Lint Inside the Dryer Lint Trap
When the regular vacuum attachment cannot reach, a dryer lint vacuum attachment can get into the narrower part of the opening. This one has a flexible attachment more than 31 inches long with a slim tip. It also includes a brush for loosening lint stuck along the sides before vacuuming.
That extra reach is the useful part. If the lint is already within reach of your existing vacuum, there is little reason to add another tool.
Check the vacuum connection before buying. The attachment is designed for openings from 0.8 to 1.7 inches, and customer feedback shows that fit varies between vacuum models. Some vacuums may need an additional connector.
Check Where Else the Lint Is Collecting
Lint does not always stay inside the trap. It can turn up beside the dryer, underneath it, or around the exhaust connection at the back.
A few stray pieces are easy to clean up. When lint keeps appearing around the machine, however, it is worth looking at where it is collecting instead of only wiping the floor.
These dryer lint problems cover other places to check when lint is spreading beyond the trap area.
When the Problem Goes Beyond the Lint Trap
Cleaning inside the lint-trap opening does not clean the entire dryer exhaust system. The duct continues from the dryer to an exterior vent, and buildup farther along that route requires separate attention.
You may first notice the problem when a load takes longer than it used to. Clothes can also come out damp even though the usual cycle has finished. Outside, there may be less air coming through the dryer vent than you normally feel.
Those are different from simply spotting lint underneath the screen. Cleaning the accessible lint-trap opening is useful maintenance, but a problem farther along the exhaust path needs to be checked separately.
