Dryer vent cleaning checklist

1. Before you start

• ☐ Confirm the customer, address, unit and which dryer or dryers you are servicing.
• ☐ Ask about symptoms: long drying times, hot laundry room, burning smell, lint outside, birds or noise at the vent.
• ☐ Note the dryer type (gas or electric), make and model if visible.
• ☐ Find the termination: wall, roof, soffit or crawlspace. Note anything you cannot reach and why.
• ☐ Take before photos: transition duct, wall connection, termination, and any damage or blockage you can see.
• ☐ If you measure airflow, take the before reading now, and write down where and how you measured it.

2. The cleaning

• ☐ Pull the dryer out carefully, protecting the floor, and disconnect the transition duct.
• ☐ Check the transition duct type and condition. Note crushed, kinked or plastic or foil ducts.
• ☐ Clean the lint trap housing area the manufacturer allows you to reach.
• ☐ Clean the vent run from the appropriate end, with the right brush or tool for its length and bends.
• ☐ Clear the termination: damper or flap moves freely, no nest, screen or heavy buildup.
• ☐ Collect and contain the lint and debris; do not leave it in the wall cavity or outside.

3. Reconnect and test

• ☐ Reconnect with a suitable transition duct, without kinks, and secure both ends.
• ☐ Push the dryer back without crushing the transition duct.
• ☐ Run the dryer and confirm exhaust at the termination and that the damper opens.
• ☐ If you measured before, take the after reading the same way, at the same point, with the same settings.
• ☐ Take after photos of the same spots as the before photos.

4. Before you leave

• ☐ Write down the work actually done, and anything you recommend but did not do.
• ☐ List components you could not inspect or clean, and the reason.
• ☐ Walk the customer through the before-and-after photos.
• ☐ Give or send the report, and record the customer’s acknowledgement.
• ☐ Agree a next-service date if the customer wants one, and record it.
• ☐ Hand over the quote, invoice or receipt.

What “included” usually means

Customers often ask what a dryer vent cleaning includes. A clear answer avoids disputes: cleaning the transition duct and the vent run to the termination, clearing the termination, reconnecting and testing, and a written record. Roof access, nest removal, repairs and parts are usually separate lines; see the pricing guide and the invoice template.

Turn the checklist into a report

Steps 1, 3 and 4 are what the customer will ask about later. Record them with the free service report template, check the fields against the report checklist, or use VentProof for Android, which walks the same steps on the phone and makes the customer PDF at the end.