The Laundry Gadget Actually Worth Buying That Cleans Your Dryer Lint Trap

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Leaving lint in your dryer can be downright dangerous. The soft, dull, grayish material that accumulates after you dry your clothes is made from tiny fabric fibers, pet fur, and perhaps the occasional gum wrapper. While seemingly innocuous, it's so highly flammable that you can actually repurpose unwanted dryer lint as a DIY fire starter. The longer you leave your dryer lint trap full, the more likely you are to suffer the consequences. Even if your laundry room doesn't immediately go up in flames, dryer lint reduces the amount of airflow, which causes a chain reaction of expensive problems. Your clothes won't dry as quickly, increasing your energy costs. Eventually, the motor or other components get burnt out (literally or figuratively) which means facing costly repairs or worse, shopping for a new dryer. It's almost impossible to reach your hand or vacuum attachment inside a dryer lint trap, but a bendable microfiber wand may be the perfect laundry gadget to clean it.

The beauty of a bendy device like the Libman Flexible Microfiber Dusting Wand from Amazon is that its super skinny design is ideal for fitting into small spaces like your dryer lint trap. Microfiber works extremely well at trapping the debris that makes up lint because each loop of material has split edges that wipe up debris while holding it in place thanks to positively charged fibers that are naturally attracted to the negative charge held by dirt and dust. Better still, microfiber is a machine washable material that can be used to clean your dryer lint trap over and over again.

The process of cleaning your dryer lint trap with this hack is super simple. If you didn't realize how often you need to clean your dryer, and expect your lint trap to be jam-packed, start by putting on a pair of gloves. Then, locate the lint trap itself. It's usually located on the top of the dryer and has a small handle that you'll pull slightly upward and outward to open. Don't be surprised when a lot of lint comes with it! It may also release some dirt onto the top of your dryer, so make sure to remove that pile of clean clothes that's just begging to be folded before you remove the lint trap. Next, carefully remove the lint from the screen of the trap itself. Slightly moistening your finger or using a dryer sheet can help immensely if it's really stuck on there.

Next, you'll use the microfiber wand to clean inside the dryer vent itself. If your vent is at an awkward angle, gently bend your wand slightly to make it fit inside more easily. Slowly stick the microfiber wand inside the vent opening at one side, and run it across the vent to the other side before pulling it out. Remove any lint it pulls out before repeating the process until your wand comes out clean. You may need to repeat the process, especially if cleaning your dryer hasn't been high on your list of priorities. Finally, put the cleaned dryer lint trap back into place before drying your next load of laundry.