The Best Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit, Based On Reviews

In order to dry wet laundry, your dryer is connected to a dryer vent, which allows the moisture and lint from the clothes to escape outside. While much of the lint and debris from your laundry makes it out of the vent, chances are that a substantial amount has built up inside the long and winding vent that connects your dryer to the outdoors. Eventually, you may notice signs that it's time to clean your vent, such as diminished dryer performance or even fires. Fortunately, for a small investment, you can purchase a reliable and well-reviewed dryer vent cleaning kit that can be used as often as you clean your vents.

Everbilt's Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit from Home Depot ($26.40) has hundreds of positive reviews. It comes with a 4-inch wide brush head that is designed to perfectly fit inside dryer vents and other venting throughout your home. In addition to the brush head, the kit also has six 2-foot rods that can be screwed together or used individually, depending on how deep in the vent you need to reach. Customers who have purchased the Everbilt vent cleaning kit all echo the same sentiment: the kit removes more lint than they could have ever imagined was stuck inside. Users also state that the rods are highly flexible, enough to reach through long and winding vents where lint has been lodged and built up. They also praise the fact that after cleaning the vents, dry time is reduced significantly.

While you can certainly use the kit manually, those who need to do a more thorough or aggressive cleaning job may prefer to hook it up to a drill, allowing for extra power and speed. Manually or connected to a drill, as the brush spins it will loosen the trapped debris that is caught in the folds and twists of the vent. When you push or pull out the brush, a heap of lint should come with it. Remember to have a broom and dustpan or a heavy-duty vacuum to clean up the debris or to save and reuse the dryer lint around the home later.

This Everbilt product is a helpful and impressive one for the most part, but several caveats are worth noting. Firstly, while it is designed for use in long dryer vents, be sure that you can access both ends of the vent in order to retrieve the dislodged dust and lint or you risk creating an even more dire fire hazard than you had to begin with. A decent workaround if you're unable to reach the vent's exit is to use a leaf blower to push the debris out. When using a drill with the kit work slowly and carefully; some users have stated that the rods can break if used too aggressively. With the proper care, your dryer vents can do a better job of drying laundry without risking the safety of your home or integrity of your appliance.