The dryer has been taking a little longer every load, and the towels come out warm but damp. Somewhere behind the machine is a long thin tube that Mom probably never gave a second thought, and now you are deciding whether it gets cleaned by a person with a brush or by you on a Saturday. Either is a reasonable choice. The work is the same, and so are the questions you should ask.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Read the signs before you touch anything
Notice whether the dryer runs longer than it used to, whether the clothes come out damp at the end, whether the laundry room feels warmer than usual while the machine runs, and whether the flap on the outside wall opens only a little when the dryer is going. Look at the lint filter too. A film of lint on the screen, not just loose fluff, means lint is getting past the filter. These are signs to act on, and they are ordinary things to find in an older house.
Check the vent path
Write down how the vent leaves the house. Is the outside end on a low wall you can reach from the ground, or is it high up, through a roof, or on an upper wall? Is the duct rigid metal, or flexible foil or plastic? How many bends does it have? The shorter, straighter, and lower the vent, the more likely you can clean it with a brush kit and a vacuum. A long run with several bends, or any high outside end, is a job for a professional, because the ladder is the risk, not the brush.
Do it yourself only if the path is short and reachable
If the outside end is easy to reach and the duct is short and straight, you can do the work on a weekend. Turn off the dryer and unplug it. Before you pull the machine out, check whether it is gas or electric. If it is gas, ask someone who knows gas connections to look at it before anyone moves it. Disconnect the vent at the back, clean from both ends with a flexible brush and a vacuum, then reattach it with the clamp or approved tape the manual names, not loose tape from the hardware drawer. Check that the outside flap opens freely and closes on its own.
Hire it out when the path is long, high, or damaged
Call a company when the vent runs through a roof or an upper wall, when the duct is long or bent more than once, or when you see tears or sags in flexible duct. Damaged duct is a replacement question, not a cleaning one, and you want the company to say so in writing. Ask whether they clean from both the dryer end and the outside end, whether they will show you the before and after, whether they check the outside flap, and what they do with the lint they remove. Ask whether they will move the dryer back into place themselves.
Compare two quotes on the same scope
When you get more than one quote, make sure each one covers the same work. A service that only clears the area around the lint filter is not the same as one that cleans the full duct, the outside flap, and the wall cap. Write each quote on one page and mark the scope, the length of the visit, what is left out, and whether there is a guarantee or a follow-up visit. Ask for the guarantee in writing. If the outside end is not on the quote, ask why before you agree.
What to do tonight
Tonight, keep the dryer off and do only the easy checks. Clean the lint filter screen with a soft brush. Open the outside flap by hand if you can reach it safely, and see whether it moves freely. Look at the duct where it leaves the back of the dryer. Write down whether the vent is metal or flexible, and whether it looks short and low. Then tell Dad what you found, and ask whether he would rather do the brushing with you or have someone come in.
When to ask for help
Call a professional if you cannot reach the outside end safely, if you see scorching around the back of the dryer or smell something burning, or if the outside flap stays shut while the machine runs. Those are reasons to stop and call, not to push through. Ask the person who comes what they found and what they recommend, and ask them to write it on the invoice or work order.
Good-week card
Good week: the dryer finishes a load in a normal time, the outside flap moves when the machine runs, and the vent work is written on one page in the folder with the rest of the house papers.