How Does a Dryer Lint Trap Work?

How Does a Dryer Lint Trap Work?
Published: Jan 2, 2009
Updated: Nov 20, 2021
1 minute read

Enter Fresh Air

Through the Tumbler

The heated air picks up lint from the tumbling clothes and passes through a removable wire mesh filter as it exits the machine though the dryer vent. This filter prevents the lint and fluff from becoming trapped in the dryer's exhaust hose.

Clean the Trap

The lint trap must be removed and cleaned after every load. If lint collects on the filter, it increases the time required to dry a load and wastes energy.

The Drip Cap

  • The dryer pulls fresh air through a vent on the machine and directs it through the heating elements.
Denise Bertacchi

Denise Bertacchi is a freelance writer with a degree in journalism from Southeast Missouri State University. She is a St. Louis suburbanite who has written for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Boys' Life, Wisconsin Trails, and Missouri Life.

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