Do birds seem to have taken up residence in your dryer vents recently? If so, it’s important to remove them promptly to prevent damage to your dryer, vents, and home. Over time, bird droppings and nesting materials can block vents, causing lint buildup and fire hazards. They can also lead to issues like musty smells entering your home.
The best approach is to humanely evict the birds from your vents while sealing up any entry points to prevent them from getting in again.
Here are some tips for removing birds and nests from your dryer vents:
- Seal up any visible holes or cracks in vents, louvers, hoods or the exterior of your home where birds may enter. Use wire mesh, caulk, weatherstripping or repairs to seal openings. This will make the space less habitable.
- Remove nesting materials and debris from inside vents with a vacuum hose or vent brush. The more you remove, the less comfortable the space will become.
- Use bird spikes, netting or wire to block perches near vents so birds cannot roost while waiting to get in. Place these deterrents at least 18 inches away from vents and supports.
- As a natural deterrent, you can try installing bird sound deterrents, reflective tape, balloons or predators’ decoys near vents. The motion and noise helps scare away birds.
- Once the space is uninhabitable, you may need to humanely evict any remaining birds by using noise deterrents to encourage them to leave on their own terms. Do this at dawn and dusk when birds are most active.
- If the above steps do not work or you do not feel comfortable evicting birds yourself, hire an expert wildlife control professional to remove birds and nests from your vents as well as exclude them to prevent return entry.
- Professional vent cleaning may also be needed after the removal of birds and nesting debris to fully unclog any blocked vents before using appliances that exhaust through them again.
By sealing entry points, removing nesting materials, and possibly hiring professionals to evict stubborn birds, you can get your dryer vents back into working order and help prevent damage to your equipment and home. Please let me know if you have any other questions on humanely resolving bird issues with your dryer vents. I’m happy to provide more recommendations or resources.