Notes on washer, dryer, (laundry), etc.

Because the vacuum's crevice tool isn't long enough and too fat, I purchased this: Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit compatible with vacuum hoses. About $10 on Amazon.

The round, blue end of the crevice tool is very "gooey-elastic" to accommodate a number of divergeant vacuum-hose gauges. The bend in the blue crevice tool is fairly rigid, probably on purpose, a handicap in my case. I was careful in straightening it out not to break it. I didn't make use of the accompanying brush—possibly a Hyacinth Bucket accommodation (a reference to BBC1's Keeping Up Appearances).

Easy to use, this allows getting down in the vent filter space and even down into a bit of the conduit that heads to the back of the dryer to the exhaust. I have always used my hands or the crevice tool, sometimes another, manual brush that wasn't too effective.

This kit should last forever as long as you don't tear the blue, gooey end as you connect it to your vacuum hose.

...from the outside. Ours is about 25 feet long. I purchased this kit, 35' long, but used only 21 of the flexible rods to reach what I think was the elbow in the joist space that then turned up through the laundry room wall: Holikme 35' Dryer Vent Cleaner Kit. About $20 on Amazon.

Each flexible, nylon rod is just short of 18" in length. The kit I purchase came with 25 of them plus the one with the circular brush mounted on it.

Using this tool is conceptually a no-brainer, however, in practice, the following warnings apply (in my experience performing this task):

1. This tool includes a single, drill-chuckable bit with screw threads that match the rods. Do not lose it. If you do, you can instead chuck the (female ferrule's) end of a rod, but this will ultimately damage it.
2. Especially if the cleaning hasn't been done (in years), build the rod only three sections at a time, plunge into the conduit and pull out what lint it reaches. (Sections of rod illustrated in the photo below:)
   
   

   

3. Once you reach what the rod accommodates, back what rod you've got out of the conduit, then add nother section (or three rods) and go back in.
4. Never spin your drill in reverse. If you do, you'll detach one or more of the rods leaving it (them) in the conduit and retrieving it (them) will be an extra (and sometimes nigh impossible) job.
5. Pre-measure to get an estimate of how long your conduit is. Kits with shorter lengths of rod are cheaper.
6. When you reach a barrier against pushing, take notice:
   • You may have reached an elbow.
   • You may have reached all that this tool will help you clean from this end.
7. If you're up at an elbow or as far as you can go, pushing harder might be destructive.
8. Especially if the cleaning hasn't been done in a long time, expect twisted clumps of lint to come out sometime wedging themselves in the conduit. There is probably no danger to pulling hard; they should be supple enough to make it out of the conduit.
9. You can make clever use of your drill's reverse to unscrew the chuck, but be careful (see #3 above).
10. To minimize the clean-up after, spread a tarpaulin over anything under the outlet through which you're performing the cleaning.
11. To disassemble the rods (once the drill has exerted tightening pressure on them), you'll need two channel-lock wrenches (or equivalent mechanical tools) to get them undone.
12. I would think, after using this kit, that it will survive dozens of cleanings before needing replacement—if you're careful and deliberate with it. Each time you use it, you're probably saving at least $100 over "getting a little man" in to do it for you.