Advice on how to properly clean my Maytag dryer

Gary:

Cleaning the lint from your dryer will take a little more doing than that. Since I just got through doing mine, I'm fresh on it, so here goes:

First thing to do is to UNPLUG THE DRYER COMPLETELY, and disconnect it from the dryer vent. Then remove the front panel of the dryer. It's easy- pull the dryer out from the wall and tilt it back. Now look about 4-1/2 inches from the bottom of the front, where the toe kick recess is. You'll see two screws. Remove them, supporting the front panel from the bottom. Now, lift the front panel off.

Next, remove the dryer filter; you need to clean the housing it fits into. Below the round opening you put the clothes into, you'll see the housing, which is put on with a lot of screws that don't have slotted heads. You'll need a nut driver to remove all these screws. One of them has a ground wire attached to it, so be careful to keep track of which one it is, to reattach it correctly during reassembly. This same screw will have a little toothed washer under it as well; keep track of that too, to be sure it goes back where it belongs.

Once you have the filter housing off, vacuum its parts, and lay them aside. Below the housing, you'll see a round duct that has a BIG, thick felt seal on it; you'll also see a squirrel-cage fan inside the duct. Vacuum the seal CAREFULLY with the dusting brush of your vac, and also vacuum the fan with your crevice tool.

Now, vacuum the floor of the dryer, using the dusting brush and crevice tool as needed. Be careful not to bang the tools against electric wires or connections. On the right-hand side of the floor, you will see a big round pipe that contains the heating element for the dryer. Vacuum its outside, but don't go into it unless you see something really bad wrong, like big wads of dust in it.

Now, go around to the back of the dryer. You will see a louvered panel at the lower left; it looks something like a fake metal shutter. It's attached with slotless screws, too. Remove it, and you'll have access to the left-hand side of the dryer floor (left as you face the dryer from the front; it will actually be on your right, since you're working from the rear now). Vacuum inside just as you did when you were working from the front.

Now, reassemble everything. Set the dryer to "Air Fluff". Plug it in, but do not connect it to the dryer vent. Run it for a minute or two, to blow out any remaining lint. Now, set it to a heated cycle, like Permanent Press or Regular, and let it heat up. Watch carefully for any evidence of smoking (this is very unlikely, but it's a good precaution). Run it five minutes like this, then if all is well, reconnect the dryer to its vent, vacuum the laundry area, and you're done.

My feeling about your belt is, if it ain't broke, don't go fixing it unless you're experienced in doing so, and/or have a manual and the skills to back it up. Other members here may have other opinions about that, and I'd urge you to listen to them, since many have been working with their Maytags way longer than I have been with mine.


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Post# 191975 2/17/2007 at 23:42 (6,276 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois)
Checkrate/Likes Hi everyone,I have, as my everyday dryer, a 1980 Maytag electric dryer. I have never cleaned the dryer on the inside or done anything with the venting system. I bought a new long handled brush that can be used on the refigerator coils so I stuck it down the front of the dryer where the lint screen is. OMG did I get lots of lint in the front assembly. It would be great if I could have some information concerning cleaning lint etc. from the dryer, what to and where etc.? As long as I am doing this, should I put in a new belt that turns the drum too? I have never had a repair on the dryer since I bought it in Nov. of 1980. Thanks in advance. Gary

Post# 191981 , Reply# 1 2/18/2007 at 00:32 (6,276 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Brace Yaself...* Gary: Cleaning the lint from your dryer will take a little more doing than that. Since I just got through doing mine, I'm fresh on it, so here goes: First thing to do is to UNPLUG THE DRYER COMPLETELY, and disconnect it from the dryer vent. Then remove the front panel of the dryer. It's easy- pull the dryer out from the wall and tilt it back. Now look about 4-1/2 inches from the bottom of the front, where the toe kick recess is. You'll see two screws. Remove them, supporting the front panel from the bottom. Now, lift the front panel off. Next, remove the dryer filter; you need to clean the housing it fits into. Below the round opening you put the clothes into, you'll see the housing, which is put on with a lot of screws that don't have slotted heads. You'll need a nut driver to remove all these screws. One of them has a ground wire attached to it, so be careful to keep track of which one it is, to reattach it correctly during reassembly. This same screw will have a little toothed washer under it as well; keep track of that too, to be sure it goes back where it belongs. Once you have the filter housing off, vacuum its parts, and lay them aside. Below the housing, you'll see a round duct that has a BIG, thick felt seal on it; you'll also see a squirrel-cage fan inside the duct. Vacuum the seal CAREFULLY with the dusting brush of your vac, and also vacuum the fan with your crevice tool. Now, vacuum the floor of the dryer, using the dusting brush and crevice tool as needed. Be careful not to bang the tools against electric wires or connections. On the right-hand side of the floor, you will see a big round pipe that contains the heating element for the dryer. Vacuum its outside, but don't go into it unless you see something really bad wrong, like big wads of dust in it. Now, go around to the back of the dryer. You will see a louvered panel at the lower left; it looks something like a fake metal shutter. It's attached with slotless screws, too. Remove it, and you'll have access to the left-hand side of the dryer floor (left as you face the dryer from the front; it will actually be on your right, since you're working from the rear now). Vacuum inside just as you did when you were working from the front. Now, reassemble everything. Set the dryer to "Air Fluff". Plug it in, but do not connect it to the dryer vent. Run it for a minute or two, to blow out any remaining lint. Now, set it to a heated cycle, like Permanent Press or Regular, and let it heat up. Watch carefully for any evidence of smoking (this is very unlikely, but it's a good precaution). Run it five minutes like this, then if all is well, reconnect the dryer to its vent, vacuum the laundry area, and you're done. My feeling about your belt is, if it ain't broke, don't go fixing it unless you're experienced in doing so, and/or have a manual and the skills to back it up. Other members here may have other opinions about that, and I'd urge you to listen to them, since many have been working with their Maytags way longer than I have been with mine.

Post# 191983 , Reply# 2 2/18/2007 at 00:35 (6,276 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Correction!* Gary: That louvered panel on the back is at the lower RIGHT, not the lower left. Got turned around and mixed myself up. Sorry!

Post# 191986 , Reply# 3 2/18/2007 at 01:15 (6,276 days old) by panthera (Rocky Mountains)
Checkrate/Likes *sandy is right, great how-to* If it ain't broke (cracks,threads sticking out, smooth or burn marks) don't fix it. But DO make digital pictures of exactly how it is attached, what goes over and what goes under which pulley where. Save you a lot of time when it does go. And they do...in the middle of a three day rain storm, in late March. Never in July or August. I take that back. Just realized "1980". Now that Maytag is owned by Whirlpool, you can bet parts will soon be NLA for that machine. Start looking for belt, pulleys, drum seals, etc. now before you need them.

Post# 192012 , Reply# 4 2/18/2007 at 07:43 (6,275 days old) by magic clean ()
Checkrate/Likes *Clarification of facts* Previous message states: "Now that Maytag is owned by Whirlpool, you can bet parts will soon be NLA for that machine. Start looking for belt, pulleys, drum seals, etc. now before you need them". A version of that Newton built dryer is still in production and will be for a while. Therfore, functional parts will continue to readily available for quite sometime. F.Y.I.

Post# 192061 , Reply# 5 2/18/2007 at 12:32 (6,275 days old) by danemodsandy (The Bramford, Apt. 7-E)
Checkrate/Likes *Parts* One more reassuring note on parts- Looking at the parts on RepairClinic.com, I see that some of them are not genuine Maytag, rather, they're "equivalent" parts. Considering how many TL Maytags are out there, plus their dryers, I am comfortable predicting that aftermarket companies will step in and supply some of the things that Maytag/Whirlpool might drop. It's just too lucrative a market. Trim, buttons, etc. may become NLA, and so may some of the more exotic stuff (like 906 controls), but basic heating elements, seals, etc. will probably remain decently available for a long time to come. Timers, of course, can go to Reeco.