In this DIY How to Remove and Clean Clothes Dryer Vent Ducting for Fire Prevention Video I take you step by step through this simple yet necessary process. Many fires are started every year from lack of cleaning of dryer vent ducts. Once this method and processed is used, your ducting will be just like new. The first thing to do is remove and replace the slinky looking aluminum vent that connects the dryer to the hard vent. This is usually accomplished by the loosening and removal of the large hose clamp, typically a flathead fastener.
Once I got this old dryer vent removed I used my shop vac and got the big stuff out. If you are not planning on disassembling the whole thing you need to be able to have enough shop vac hose to reach the full length of the whole vent run or at least enough so that you can reach the remaining distance from the outside or opposite side. In the case in the video I decided to remove the whole thing and actually replace the old vent with brand new stuff. The existing was at least 20 years old and was corroded, old and sagging. If you wanted to re-use the existing vent ducting and remove it for cleaning, bring it outside and blow it out with an air compressor. There is a good chance you'll still have some scum that won't readily blow out with an air compressor so you'll need to figure out how to manually remove it. Many times this can be done with a rag or some type of cleaning brush. If you don't remove the old scum and reinstall it, it will be a starting point for new dryer vent bi-products to accumulate reducing the time that you'll need to clean it out again. When reinstalling be sure that the seams are facing the direction of flow so it won't be a sticking point for debris to collect. Once you get your vent ducting run all cleaned out and re-assembled it will give you piece of mind that you've reduced the chances of a dryer vent duct fire.
