Tumble dryers will 'run smoothly' if you clear out forgotten compartment

If your tumble dryer isn't drying your clothes as effectively as it used to, it could be due a thorough clean.

Tumble dryers are important household appliances. They help dry clothes when it's raining outside, especially if you live in a house that doesn't have much room for drying racks. They can also ensure we dry all our laundry when we run out of space on the washing line, even when the weather is sunny.

However, if they're not cleaned regularly, they can stop running as efficiently, meaning it can take longer to dry your clothes. This can put more of a strain on your energy bill as you'll need to run your dryer for longer.

But how do you clean a tumble dryer? Most people might think it's enough to simply wipe inside the drum, but there's a section many overlook - the removable filter.

Your filter may look different depending on the type of tumble dryer you have, but it's the little-known compartment that collects lint whenever you use the appliance. When this compartment is clogged, it can reduce the machine's efficiency and even be a fire hazard, so cleaning it regularly is vital.

The lint filter should be wiped down regularly, but if you haven't done it for a while, it may need a deeper clean. One woman on TikTok found out just how nasty these compartments can get when she cleaned the filter of her condenser tumble dryer for the first time - as she never knew it needed to be cleaned.

The woman filmed herself pulling out the dust-covered filter and cleaning it in her shower. She used the showerhead to spray water into the filter to shift the lint trapped inside.

She said: "Apparently, this thing needs more than just a casual wipe over. In my defence, I didn't own a tumble dryer until last year when I was 31 years old. But still, I never actually knew that you needed to clean this out."

The woman said there was lint in "every crevice" of her filter before she cleaned it out, and the video showed her bath slowly filling with black water as she continued to hose down the compartment.

She added: "Now that I've managed to get all the black fluff that I didn't know was in there out, my tumble dryer will not be wheezing through laundry day like it's run a marathon any more.

"So if you're like me and you've got a condenser dryer and you've never cleaned that bottom bit out, this is your sign."

While there were some commenters on the woman's video who claimed it was "obvious" that the filter needs cleaning, several people thanked her for reminding them to do it with their own machines.

One person said: "So important to clean filters - tumble dryers cause so many fires!" Another added: "I used mine for four years and didn't know about the filter! I only found out about it last week when I got an error message. The amount of fluff that came out of it was insane!"

How to clean a tumble dryer filter

According to Hotpoint, tumble dryers naturally accumulate fluff when drying your clothes, and a clogged filter means your machine will use more energy to dry your clothes. They also state that cleaning your tumble dryer helps to prevent odours and keeps your machine running efficiently.

There are several areas of your tumble dryer that need cleaning at regular intervals:

• Lint filter - after every use
• Drum - once a month
• Drying sensor - every few months
• Condenser (for a condenser dryer) - every month
• Evaporator filter (for a heat pump dryer) - every few cycles
• Vent hose (for a vented dryer) - every three months

To clean the filter, Hotpoint recommends the following steps:

Make sure the tumble dryer has cooled down.

Open the door and remove the lint filter from the front by pulling up.

The filter will open like a book - wipe the dust and lint away by hand or with a soft cloth.

Close the filter and pop it back in the housing.

They also recommend giving the filter and the housing a "deep clean" every few months. To do this, wash the filter under the tap and use a vacuum cleaner on a low suction setting to clean the housing. Make sure the filter is completely dry before putting it back inside your tumble dryer.