Product Review: DIY Dryer Lint Cleaning Kit

Two years ago, I heard a lot of stories reported in the local media about house fires being sparked by dryers. That was while I was wrapping up my collegiate experience in Lynchburg, Virginia. (Ironically roommates I lived with that year didn’t know how to empty the lint trap on the dryer, and had 3+ months accumulation in there…but that’s another story.)

Upon moving back home, I mentioned on multiple occasions that we needed to either have our dryer and its ventilation system professionally cleaned or get one of those DIY kits. This has been a pushed-to-the-back-burner issue now for two years. Finally, after Thursday’s front page headline about a local family whose garage blew up and burned due to a clogged dryer, I decided it was time to get this job done.

Bed, Bath, and Beyond advertises an As-Seen-on-TV kit for DIY dryer cleaning. The kit consists of a 10-foot brush, a 3-foot brush, and a long vacuum attachment. The instructions couldn’t be simpler, and are great for people like me who hate reading the manual before diving into a complex project. The idea is to both clean deep inside the dryer and in the ventilation duct work. At $20.00, this kit is a bit pricey. However, BB&B practically throws out 20% off coupons, and I’d highly recommend having one before visiting.

Just like WGRZ-TV does in its popular “As-Seen-on-TV” segments, I’m going to give my review on how the dryer cleaning kit worked.

The 3-foot brush and vacuum attachment worked well for going deep into the dryer, with the lint screen pulled out. For getting into the ducts, this took a lot more work. Clamps had to be unfastened and delicate aluminum tubing had to be pulled apart. I found a lot of lint build up in the elbow joints of the ducts, especially at the point where the tubing connects to the actual dryer. The 10-foot brush didn’t work so well at getting through the ducts, as its flexible handle was too flexible—the brush kept getting stuck. Getting all the aluminum tubing to fit back together and clamp down was another interesting puzzle.

Overall this kit is useful, but a little flimsy for the price. It’s an As-Seen-on-TV gimmick though, so price and quality are what one might expect from such products. I think a long, stiff brush (like one used for cleaning under fridges) and a shop vac are all you’d really need to tackle this project successfully. But in the end, I’m glad I bought the kit. It might have been just the motivation I needed to finally tackle this project, and hey, $20.00 for some added peace of mind and perhaps fire insurance is pretty cheap.