How To: Clean A "Clean" Lint Trap

Have you read that you need to clean your lint trap with soap and water?  Do you?  The lint trap is a screen for a reason. If water doesn't pass freely through it, it's not a screen. Even though it looks clean, it may not be.  Our lint trap looked clean but, when water was poured on it, it didn't all strain through and pooled on the top.

Lint Trap: Before Cleaning

It's recommended to clean the trap every 6-8 weeks.  I try to do ours every 3 months.  To clean it, you will need:

- Dish soap 
- Old toothbrush or nylon scrubbing brush 

To Clean the Lint Trap: 

1. Remove any loose lint from the lint trap. I find that my vacuum with attachments works best. 
2. Fill a sink with hot water and add a good amount of soap and agitate the water to mix. 
3. Place the lint trap into the hot water and allow it to soak. 
4. Use the scrubbing brush to remove the loosened residue. 
5. Rinse to check how much of the residue remains. 
6. Continue soaking and scrubbing until the film is removed. (For me, it's usually good after two scrubs.)
7. Rinse completely with clean water. 
8. Dry the screen carefully and allow it to air dry completely before placing it back into the dryer.

Lint Trap: After cleaning

Happy cleaning!