Most Toronto homeowners know to clean the lint trap after every load. Far fewer know that the lint trap only catches 75–80% of the lint your dryer produces. The rest travels into the exhaust duct, accumulates over months and years, and creates a genuine fire hazard that claims thousands of homes annually across North America.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, dryers and washing machines account for roughly 1 in 22 home structure fires in North America, with "failure to clean" identified as the leading contributing factor in dryer fires. Blocked dryer vents are the primary cause of dryer-related house fires.
Why Lint Buildup Is a Fire Risk
Lint is highly flammable. It's essentially compressed cotton and synthetic fibres — the same material used as tinder in fire-starting kits. When lint accumulates in a dryer vent duct, the combination of a heat source (the dryer's heating element or gas burner), oxygen (forced through the duct), and fuel (the lint) creates fire triangle conditions.
Modern dryers have thermal cut-off fuses that are supposed to shut down the heating element if the dryer overheats. But these fuses only activate at specific temperatures — and by the time a vent is seriously blocked, the operating temperature in the duct itself can be high enough to ignite accumulated lint before the fuse trips.
Warning Signs Your Dryer Vent Is Blocked
- Clothes taking 2+ drying cycles to fully dry. The most common and most ignored sign. Hot, humid air can't exhaust, so the drum stays warm but clothes don't dry.
- The dryer exterior is hot to the touch. A properly vented dryer stays warm, not hot. Excessive heat on the cabinet indicates restricted exhaust.
- Burning smell during or after a cycle. Lint beginning to smolder in the duct produces a distinctive burning-fabric smell. This is an emergency — stop the dryer immediately.
- Laundry room feels humid after a cycle. Hot, moist air is backing up into the room instead of exhausting outside.
- Exterior vent flapper not fully opening. The damper on your exterior wall vent should open fully when the dryer runs. If it barely moves or stays closed, the duct is blocked.
The Toronto Condo Problem
Toronto condos present specific dryer vent challenges that houses don't. Many condo buildings route dryer exhaust through shared vertical ducts, long horizontal runs with multiple 90-degree bends, or through systems that serve multiple units. Lint from upper-floor units can fall and accumulate in lower sections, creating blockages that affect multiple residents. Condominium corporations often have no systematic cleaning schedule for these ducts.
If you live in a Toronto condo with an in-suite laundry, check when the vent was last professionally cleaned. In buildings over 5 years old where this hasn't been documented, it's almost certainly overdue.
Flexible plastic duct is a hazard: Many older Toronto installations use flexible plastic (vinyl) dryer duct instead of rigid metal or flexible metal. Plastic duct sags, accumulates lint in the low spots, and is a fire code violation in new Ontario construction. If your dryer connects via white plastic flexible duct, replace it with aluminum flexible duct or rigid metal — this is a safety upgrade, not just maintenance.
DIY vs. Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning
DIY Cleaning (When Appropriate)
- Suitable for short, straight duct runs (under 4m)
- Requires: flexible vent brush kit ($25–$40)
- Disconnect dryer, push brush from both ends
- Vacuum residual lint at dryer connection
- Limited effectiveness for bends and long runs
Professional Cleaning (Recommended For...)
- Toronto condos with long or shared ducts
- Runs with multiple 90-degree turns
- Ducts not cleaned in 2+ years
- Any duct where lint is visible at the exterior vent
- After dryer fire near-miss or burning smell incident
How Often Should You Clean Your Dryer Vent?
- Average household (4–5 loads/week): Once a year
- Heavy use (7+ loads/week) or large family: Every 6 months
- Condo with long duct run: Every 6–8 months
- Pet owners (extra lint production): Every 6 months minimum
Professional dryer vent cleaning in Toronto costs $80–$180 for a standard residential run. For context: the average residential fire from a dryer causes $35,000+ in damage. The cost-benefit analysis is straightforward.
If you're noticing dryer performance issues — slow drying, heat problems, or unusual noises — our dryer repair service in Toronto covers diagnostic and same-day repair across the GTA, with vent inspection included in the service visit.
Dryer Running Slow or Overheating?
Could be a vent blockage or a heating element issue. Our Toronto technicians diagnose and fix it same-day.