Why is There More Lint Showing Up in the Lint Trap

A lint trap is a crucial part of your dryer. With the air circulated around your dryer, the lint that comes naturally off your clothing is caught in the trap. This prevents it from moving further into the system, clogging it up, and ultimately starting a devastating fire from the heat. However, if you are washing the same clothes every week, you become pretty accustomed to the amount of lint they produce. This means that when more mysteriously shows up, you are rightfully concerned about it.

The first and most obvious consideration is what you are washing. Even just one new thing in your dryer can wildly change the amount of lint that shows up. So if you are washing a sweater you don’t normally wash or a new set of jeans, you can expect to see more lint than normal.

However, new clothes are an obvious reason. Unfortunately, if that is not the case, you may be on the verge of a serious problem. The issue is that lint traps are far from a perfect solution towards preventing dryer fires. Lint often misses the screen and ends up in the exhaust hose or exhaust vent of your home. When either part becomes clogged with lint, the heat can start a fire. There are many signs that this has happened. One is that the air won’t circulate well enough and the clothing will not dry efficiently. Another common sign is that more lint will be trapped inside the dryer which means more of it has a chance of getting caught on the lint trap.

As increased lint in a dryer can be a sign that you have a clogged exhaust, it is important that when you see this sign, you investigate. The flexible exhaust hose is easy to remove on the back of the dryer. Once done, you can check it and the vent it connects to in your home from clogs.