Lint is fuel, and the dryer vent is the route it takes out of the house. A vent that works is a maintenance job with three parts: the trap inside the door, the duct between the dryer and the wall, and the hood outside. Each part needs a named owner, or each part will be assumed by someone else.
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The trap is a every-load job
Clear the lint trap before or after each load, and wash it when the screen looks coated, since a film of fabric softener or dryer sheet residue cuts airflow even when the screen looks clean. Make this the easiest task on the list so it actually happens. If Dad runs the dryer, the trap habit is his to keep, and the rest of the family should check it on visits rather than assume it is done.
Check the duct where it connects
Pull the dryer out from the wall with the power and gas off as the manual directs. Look at the connection at the back of the dryer and at the duct where it meets the wall. Lint that is packed at the joint, a crushed flexible duct, or a run that sags low enough to trap lint are all signs that the path is narrowing. Clean the connection, straighten or replace the flexible section if it is crushed, and keep the dryer back in place without pinching the duct.
Check the outdoor hood
Go outside and watch the exterior hood while the dryer runs. The flap should open freely with the airflow and close when the dryer stops. A flap that stays shut, a hood full of lint, or a nest in the opening means the air has nowhere to go. Clear what you can reach safely from the ground. If the duct is long, has turns, or cannot be reached, hire a dryer vent service that can clean the full run, and ask them in writing what they will clean and what they will not.
Watch for the signs of a slow vent
Clothes that take longer than usual to dry, a dryer body that feels hot, a burning smell, or a laundry room that is warmer than the rest of the house are reasons to stop the dryer and check the path. Do not wait for the next visit to decide whether it matters. Stop the machine, look at the trap and the hood, and call the person who owns the vent.
Write the ownership sheet
Use a short sheet with three lines: the trap, the duct, and the hood. Next to each line, write the person who does it, how they know it was done, and who gets told when something looks wrong. Keep the sheet on the laundry room wall. The schedule should be the one the manual sets, and the sheet should show who is accountable for keeping it.
Next move: Clear the trap tonight, pull the dryer out and check the back connection, then go outside and watch the hood while the dryer runs. Tape the three-line sheet to the laundry room wall with one name on each line before you leave.