• Clean your dryer when you notice that it is not working properly.laundry image by timur1970 from Fotolia.com
  
  If you've ever blamed the periodic disappearance of your socks on an invisible sock monster, turn your attention to the real culprit: your dryer. When your dryer gets dirty, it loses its ability to function properly. When this happens the air vent will suck up socks and other small items in your laundry. Prevent this by periodically cleaning your dryer with special products designed to do the job easily and quickly.
  
  

Vent Brush

• Dryers have a vent tube that supplies and removes hot air. This tube can sometimes get clogged with lint, socks, or washcloths, especially if the lint trap is not working properly. When this happens, the dryer will be unable to dry clothes quickly. To prevent this, regularly clean your dryer's vents with a vent brush. Vent brushes are long, flexible brushes with stiff nylon or plastic bristles. The bristles pull out the lint and clothing items.
  
  

Lint Trap Brush

• Lint-trap brushes help clean out your lint trap and the lint-trap compartment. Sometimes, especially when your lint trap is damaged, lint can escape the mesh trap and get lodged in the compartment where the lint trap rests. To clean it, run a lint-trap brush through the compartment. The brush's bristles will pick up the lint and leave the compartment clean.
  
  

Dryer Vacuum

• The dryer vacuum performs the same function as the lint-trap and vent brushes, but it sucks up rather than picks up the lint. High-quality vacuums will pick up more lint and can make your dryer cleaning job easier and faster. These vacuums have long hoses that can be pushed into a vent. They also have thin nozzle attachments that you can use to clean your lint-trap compartment.