With the washer out of position after the overflow, I noticed we had rare access to the dryer vent. I'd read that homeowners should have the dryer vent cleaned every few years to prevent a fire hazard, so I looked online for how to get that done.
I learned that the vinyl/plastic and aluminum foil dryer vents ARE fire hazards. The rigid metal and semi-rigid metal ducts are both much safer. The rigid metal duct is the best choice if your path from the dryer to the opening in the wall or floor is pretty straight, since the escaping air, moisture, and lint encounters the least friction on the way out, drying the clothes that much more efficiently. Our path is like a question mark, so when I called the Dryer Vent Wizard to arrange a cleaning, I asked if he could also replace the old foil vent with a semi-rigid metal dryer vent.
Bill from Dryer Vent Wizard came and put in a semi-rigid duct with lots of metal tape to make sure the connection was secure. He cleaned from the dryer all the way to the outside outlet, sending vast plumes of lint into the air. Cough, cough. I came inside. The speed of the air coming out went from 8.2 mph to 15 mph. He said he usually sees a big improvement, but he was impressed. He even raked the leaves on the patio to clean up the lint.
He also told me that if we used dryer sheets, they leave a residue that blocks the lint screen. He said I should take an old toothbrush & soap and clean the lint screen every now and then. He said you can tell if it needs it by just holding it under running water, which would pool instead of just going through. I tried it. He was totally right. The lint screen might as well have had clear plastic over it. Then I cleaned it for a few minutes and the water ran straight through it.
We looked forward to the clothes drying faster, once we had a working washer.
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