How does a Dryer Dry Clothing?

Heat:

Traditional dryers use a heat source to increase the air temperature and shorten the time for drying clothes. Dryers use either an electric heat element or a gas burner as the heat source. The dryer draws in room temperature air and heats it with the element or burner. Heat speeds up the drying process, allowing clothing to be dried much faster than air drying. 

Tumbling (movement):

Tumbling results from a motor moving the drum of the dryer, allowing the clothing to move around. This allows the heated air to circulate among the clothing. There are "baffles" inside the dryer, which allows for more movement. The baffles are the pieces that stick out inside the dryer drum (see picture below). It is important not to overload your dryer, as this will not allow the air to circulate between the clothing items, resulting in longer dry times.  

Air Flow: 

Air flow may be the most important of the three requirements to dry clothing. As the wet clothing is tumbled in a dryer drum, the wet clothing and hot air produce moisture (steam). For the clothes to dry, this moisture has to have a passage out. Traditional dryers must be vented in some way to allow the moisture to leave. Venting must be run to the outside of the home. Venting needs to be metal instead of plastic or aluminum foil-type venting. Plastic and aluminum foil venting can trap lint, collapse easily, and can pose a fire hazard. 

Venting also has length requirements and may require turns in the vent pipes depending on where installed. The best venting is the shortest and straightest path to the outside. An exhaust hood or roof cap is at the end of the vent on the outside of the home, depending on where the vent exits. The venting material and the exhaust hood needs to be free and clear of lint and debris, such as tree limbs, bushes, bird nests, and rodent nests. See installation instructions for venting requirements. 

Your washer's motion produces a lot of lint, which the drying technology helps remove. The airflow in the dryer is passed through a filter and then vented to the outside. This filter collects a large amount of the lint from the clothing. It is important that this lint screen is cleaned before and/or after every use of the dryer, as the lint buildup will block the airflow path to the outside. Lint buildup can also happen in the venting to the outside, so cleaning the vent from the back of the dryer about every six months to 1 year is important. If the full vent length is inaccessible to clean yourself, you may have to hire a professional vent cleaning service. Lint is combustible and hazardous if not thoroughly cleared from the vent. 

Cleaning the vents allows for full airflow, allowing your dryer to run more efficiently. Clothing will dry faster, saving you time and money on energy bills.