# Do you ever REALLY clean your dryer lint screen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152 "2011-09-13T13:05:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/61 "2011-09-16T05:01:50Z")
Heard of it, but we don’t use dryer sheets, so our lint screen is buildup-free. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/62 "2011-09-17T01:35:55Z")
I just took out our dryer lint screen and tried water on it. Poured through perfectly fine, and this after almost eight years of dryer sheets. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/63 "2011-09-17T20:07:38Z")
I always clean the lint screen immediately after using the dryer. And frankly, from the amount of lint I pull of that thing, I’d be amazed if the screen were noticeably blocked. The bowels of the lint trap are vacuumed occasionally. I’ve seen the commercial where a woman takes the lint screen to the sink and rinses it off. I think, “Let’s HOPE she air-dries the screen before placing back in the dryer!” I have a toothbrush under the sink I reserve for little scrubby jobs. I think I’ll go give the lint screen a bath. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/64 "2011-09-17T20:43:50Z")
I tried this this morning. I took out the lint screen and poured some water on it. Yes, the water pooled. Then I tried blowing through the screen onto my hand on thr other side, just to see how air passes through the screen which appears clean. I could just barely feel my breath on my hand. Washed the screen a bit, and it was dramatically better in terms of airflow. I’m still not 100% convinced it will make clothes drying faster or better. We shall see. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/65 "2011-09-17T22:39:53Z")
> [@VOW](#): > > I think, “Let’s HOPE she air-dries the screen before placing back in the dryer!” I don’t think it’s necessary. The dryer blows a lot of hot air through it, it will dry pretty quick that way. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/66 "2011-09-17T23:17:13Z")
Never and I’ve never heard of it. I use liquid fabric softener maybe half the time, but I also double rinse, and I use dryer sheet occasionally to deal with pet hair - a box lasts me about a year. My cotton towels are always nicely absorbent, whether softened, sheeted, or racked. > [@delphica](#): > > Yes, but not because of any invisible build-up. I’ll give it a good scrub whenever it starts to look grubby to me, usually every other month or so. Grubby? How does a lint screen get grubby? Wet clean clothes go in; dry clean clothes go out. Where does the grubby come from? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/67 "2011-09-18T03:07:16Z")
> [@j66](#): > > Grubby? How does a lint screen get grubby? Wet clean clothes go in; dry clean clothes go out. Where does the grubby come from? They’re saying the grubbiness comes from the chemical build-up from the dryer sheets. But again, our lint screen seems to be unaffected. Could there be some sort of difference in quality? Ours is a rather type-of-the-line Italian model, but it’s hard to believe _that_ much thought could have been put into the lint filter. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152/68 "2011-09-18T03:41:08Z")
Guess I’ll be scrubbing the lint screen tonight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-ever-really-clean-your-dryer-lint-screen/596152.md?page=3)