The Old-School Dryer Vent Cleaning Hack My Grandma Swears By

When my grandmother first taught me her method for cleaning a clogged dryer vent, I have to admit — I was skeptical. No high-tech gadgets, no expensive service calls. Just a vacuum, a brush, and an old leaf blower she kept in the garage. She looked at me with that calm, confident smile and said,

“This keeps your dryer running right, keeps your house safe, and costs next to nothing.” She wasn’t exaggerating.

Many people don’t realize that a clogged dryer vent isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a serious fire hazard

. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, clothes dryers cause nearly 2,900 house fires every year, and failure to clean the vent is the leading cause. Beyond that, lint buildup reduces your dryer’s efficiency, increases energy bills, and shortens the lifespan of the machine itself.

So when Grandma said this was a “must-do,” I listened.

Her Step-by-Step Method — Simple, Safe, and Smart

Here’s how she showed me to clean the dryer vent properly — and I’ve used this method ever since.

✅ Step 1: Safety First

Unplug the dryer and, if it’s gas-powered, shut off the gas valve. Then carefully pull the machine slightly away from the wall — just enough to access the back.

✅ Step 2: Vacuum the Opening

Using a vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment, remove all visible lint and dust from the back vent and the surrounding floor area. You’d be surprised how much builds up back there, even if you clean the lint trap regularly.

✅ Step 3: Use a Flexible Vent Brush

Take a long, flexible dryer vent brush (you can get one for under $20 at most hardware stores) and feed it into the duct. Twist and push gently to loosen any lint and dust stuck to the walls inside.

✅ Step 4: Vacuum Again

After brushing, go back in with the vacuum to suck up anything that got knocked loose.

✅ Step 5: Blow It Out from the Outside

Now here’s the clever part — Grandma’s leaf blower trick. Go outside where the dryer vent exhaust exits your house. Remove the cover (usually just a few screws), then place the leaf blower nozzle into the vent. Give it a few strong bursts. You’ll see dust and lint shoot out — it’s incredibly satisfying!

✅ Step 6: Reassemble and Test

Put the vent cover back on, reconnect your dryer, and slide it back into place. Run a short cycle with a small load. You’ll probably notice right away — the dryer is quieter, the clothes dry faster, and the machine feels less hot to the touch.

The Results Speak for Themselves

After doing this with Grandma the first time, I was amazed. The dryer worked like it was brand new. Clothes dried more evenly and in less time. The slight burning smell I hadn’t even noticed before was gone. Most importantly,

I knew the risk of a fire was dramatically reduced.

It’s something she always did once in the spring and once before winter — and now, I do too.

“This keeps your dryer running right, keeps your house safe, and costs next to nothing.” She wasn’t exaggerating.

Many people don’t realize that a clogged dryer vent isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a serious fire hazard

So when Grandma said this was a “must-do,” I listened.

Her Step-by-Step Method — Simple, Safe, and Smart

Here’s how she showed me to clean the dryer vent properly — and I’ve used this method ever since.

✅ Step 1: Safety First

Unplug the dryer and, if it’s gas-powered, shut off the gas valve. Then carefully pull the machine slightly away from the wall — just enough to access the back.

✅ Step 2: Vacuum the Opening

✅ Step 3: Use a Flexible Vent Brush

Take a long, flexible dryer vent brush (you can get one for under $20 at most hardware stores) and feed it into the duct. Twist and push gently to loosen any lint and dust stuck to the walls inside.

✅ Step 4: Vacuum Again

After brushing, go back in with the vacuum to suck up anything that got knocked loose.

✅ Step 5: Blow It Out from the Outside

✅ Step 6: Reassemble and Test

The Results Speak for Themselves

I knew the risk of a fire was dramatically reduced.

It’s something she always did once in the spring and once before winter — and now, I do too.

He made a house of only 89 squares, but wait until you see the inside

Luke Thiull, 13 years old was not your typical teenager for his age, most kids have other things on their minds besides building houses, but Luke from Iowa is not like any other school going child you have seen before!

This Talented kid proactively crafted his own little heaven in his own house, situate in his parents back yard; The little project cost him around $1,500 USD but is his dream little house, come and have a look!

It is incredible that this bold teenager is doing what he is doing, especially in a time, for youngsters, of smart phones, ipads and revolutionary gaming computers and systems. He decided to bust himself in a more ‘traditional’ way.

He explains it all on his youtube channel about his desire to build himself a small house and how in respects to his boredom that spurred him on to do it.

After a lot of thought and much consideration and quite a bit of research Luke had a pretty good idea how his plan he visualised would come to fruition!

It took him in total about a year to get the money and materials all together to do the work on the house, he mowed lawns, did fund raisers online and did jobs for anyone he could and generally did anything he could to raise money.

Luke was friends with someone who knew electrics and he helped him install all the electrics in exchange for Luke clearing out all his garage for him, trade for trade so to speak.

During his project Luke used about 75% recycled materials, a lot of things left over from his grandma’s house, the front door was a gift from the friend of his uncle!

The little house is about 89 square foot and a whole 10 feet in length at around 5 ½ feet wide, it has electricity but no plumbing, so no toilet sink or shower yet!

Luke said:

“I liked the minimalism”

“And I wanted to have a house without a huge mortgage.”

Luke has made many short videos to post on youtube, he tells us about his project, there are many people curious about it and his motivation to do it.

Luke recieved quite a lot of help from his parents both with the building and with the finances, but dad Greg ensured that it was Luke that would pay for most everything himself.

Greg said:

“It was a chance for a kid to do something more than play video games or sports”

“It teaches life lessons.”

The house is a complete dream house for a teenager, a little sanctuary for him to realx and have his own space, it has a microwave, TV and a loft with a bed, there is even a BBQ out back!

Luke diligently does his homework after school time in his little house then in the nighttime, at least some of the time, he gets to sleep there too!

Luke already has ideas and dreams of building another house, but this time a little bigger for the time when he wants to start college, he also wants to inspire others too!

He said:

“I want to show kids it’s possible to build at this age”

Have a look at this project below:

Luke’s storey is an inspiration what a kid can do that has a clear goal and a determined work ethic, and of course a little support from his parents too!

Share and like if you too think that more people see and hear about Luke’s awesome little house!