Has anyone else ever had an issue where your clothes dryer is heating up, and it seems like it’s working, but your clothes just won’t get dry? Seriously!

We’ve had an issue for the past month or so that has driven me batty. I’ll put a small load of clothes in the dryer and set it to dry. First, the cycle would take nearly 2 hours, and second, when the cycle finally gave in, the clothes would still be pretty damp. I have been beyond frustrated. After many troubleshooting techniques, I figured out that the pipe from my laundry room to the outside of the house must be clogged somehow. I reached my hand in as far as it would go from the laundry room, and my hubby reached his hand in as far as it would go from the outside. No luck. The line was just too long, and whatever was blocking it was staying away from us.

I went to my local Home Depot, thinking that I could get a snake or an auger as I’ve heard it has been called. I had hoped that whatever was blocking the line would be easily grabbed, or pushed through. Sure, I found one, for about $30, and thought I was on my way until one of the associates asked me if I needed any help. I considered saying “No thanks.” and walking off, but I figured I’d check with him just in case. When I told him what I had planned to do with the auger, he immediately told me no. My exhaust pipes were probably made of thin aluminum, and this thing would just tear right through it. Not a good situation. Instead, he suggested using a shop vac to try to suck the blockage out… Well, I didn’t have a shop vac. Why? I have no idea, but surely, it will be on the list of things to buy soon. Anyhow my hubby had this great idea of using a lawn/leaf blower… Hmmmm. Could work.. So I bought a couple of other items we needed and headed  home.

Hubby removed the external vent cover, and went upstairs to use the leaf blower in the laundry room. He placed the leaf blower into the exhaust pipe, wrapped a towel around it to hold in as much air as possible, and turned it on. A HUGE, wet, nasty lint ball flew out of the external vent in the back yard. My girls and I just laughed. I couldn’t believe that had built up in there. I clean my lint trap after every load, so it was just a big surprise that could happen.

After the vent has been cleared, our clothes are drying much faster now. One cycle instead of several, and laundry isn’t taking so long.

Just thought I’d share this little bit of information since I’m sure we’re not the only ones that have experienced it!

*If you like this DIY tip, stay tuned. We’re moving next month, and we’re going to OWN our home! Lots of DIY tips to come!