Dryer Smells Like Burning
moderate 45–90 min
Tools: screwdriver or nut driver, vacuum with a crevice tool, flashlight, dryer vent brush kit · Materials: replacement lint screen if yours is torn, foil tape
Steps
- Stop the dryer, unplug it (or switch off the gas valve and unplug it), and leave the door open until it is cool; do not run it again until you find the cause.
- Pull out the lint screen and vacuum the slot below it with a crevice tool — lint packed there sits right beside the heating element.
- Pull the dryer out, disconnect the vent hose, and vacuum both the hose and the outlet on the dryer; replace a crushed or foil-accordion hose with rigid or semi-rigid metal duct.
- Run a vent brush through the duct in the wall to the outside cap, and check that the cap's flap opens freely.
- With the power off, remove the lower front panel (most models: two screws under the door) and vacuum the lint around the drum, motor and element housing.
- Reassemble, run a short cycle with no clothes, and sniff at the vent outside and in the room; a faint hot-dust smell that fades within minutes is the last of the lint burning off.
Stop and call a pro if
- the smell is electrical or plastic, or you saw sparks or scorch marks inside
- the dryer is gas and you smell gas at any point — shut the valve, ventilate and call the gas company
- the smell returns after a full cleaning — the belt, idler pulley or thermostat needs a technician
- the drum does not turn freely by hand
What a pro does that you can't
An appliance technician replaces a glazed belt or worn idler, tests the cycling thermostat and thermal fuse, and cleans the blower housing that a home vacuum cannot reach.
DIY cost: $15–40 for a vent brush kit and metal duct