There is a burning smell inside my clothes dryer after it runs. Does anyone know what that could be? There is no smoke (thankfully) but it definitely has a mild to medium smell or something burning. I think its a gas powered dryer (its hard to get to the back too look) but the smell is closer to burning lint than to gas.
My first response was to clean out the area under the lint collection basket. We clean the collection basket before each use but the area under that had collected a fair amount of lint and so I cleaned it after we first smelled the smoke. I also checked the exhaust hose that connects to the wall but there was no lint in there. I then ran the dryer again after this cleaning and it still smells of smoke. Is there another place to clean? Do I just have to let it run some to let it air out? Or, is there something else I should do?
I am fairly handy myself but don't have any experience with troubleshooting dryers. Is this something I could probably remedy myself or is it something more serious that requires me to call a repair person?
Best Answer
If it smells like burning lint, it's probably burning lint. If the seals are worn around the lint trap (as evidenced by the amount collected underneath), the interior of the dryer can accumulate lint really fast. I'd remove the case and vacuum and or blow out the lint that has collected there.
This would also be a perfect time to give your dryer vent a good cleaning. If it's clogged or severely constricted, this can also cause lint to back up into the dryer chassis.
Either of these situations can be a pretty serious fire hazard, and given that you're already smelling burning, I wouldn't use the dryer until you've done both of these.