How To Care For Your Dryer Keep Your Clothes Dryer In Tip-Top Shape. If you have ever taken clothes from the dryer and discovered they were still damp, you may be addressing lint buildup. Your dryer will operate much more effectively if air can flow readily. Removing lint -- that is highly combustible -- additionally reduces the risk of fire. Take these measures to help keep your dryer lint-free. Clean the lint screen or filter each time you dry a load of clothes. Pull the lint screen straight out to eliminate it from the dryer. Remove as much lint as you can with a brush, then tap at the display with a used fabric softener sheet to pick up any remaining bits of lint. Occasionally, clean the lint trap (also called the lint-trap-housing pit ). This is the region in which the filter fits. Vacuum the brush clean, then repeat the procedure until you can not remove any rust. Annually or so, clean the dryer's vent hose and pipe to maintain the machine operating efficien...