Dryer Takes Forever to Dry? Why It Needs Two Cycles

If your dryer takes forever to dry, needing two cycles for a normal load or running two hours with the clothes still damp, it is usually short on airflow rather than broken. Wet air has to leave the drum for clothes to dry, and anything that slows it down, from a coated lint screen to a clogged roof vent, stretches the cycle. Most of the causes are inexpensive, and several you can fix yourself this afternoon.

If the drum tumbles but you feel no heat at all, that is a different problem, covered in dryer not heating: the common causes. This guide is for the dryer that heats, just not well enough.

A dryer that takes forever to dry is a fire warning

A clogged vent traps lint, and a dryer that cannot exhaust runs hot. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, failure to clean was the leading factor contributing to home clothes dryer fires from 2018 to 2020, at 31%. If the top of the dryer is hot to the touch, the laundry room turns hot and humid while it runs, or you smell something burning, stop using the dryer until it has been checked.

Checks you can do yourself

Unplug the dryer, or switch off its breaker, before you reach inside it or pull it away from the wall. If you have a gas dryer, slide it out gently and never bend, twist or disconnect the gas line. If you ever smell gas, do not touch any switches; leave the house and call the gas utility or 911 from outside.

1. Clean the lint screen, then wash it. Roll the lint off before every load. Fabric softener and dryer sheets also leave an invisible film on the mesh that blocks air even when the screen looks clean. Whirlpool recommends scrubbing both sides with a nylon brush, hot water and liquid detergent about every six months, rinsing it, and drying it thoroughly before it goes back in.
2. Right-size the load. An overstuffed drum cannot tumble or move air. Aim for a drum about half to three-quarters full, and dry heavy towels separately from light clothes.
3. Check the cycle and options. Air-only and fluff settings add no heat, and energy-saving options lengthen the cycle on purpose. On Whirlpool dryers with the EcoBoost option, Whirlpool says it adds about 40 minutes.
4. Clean the moisture sensor bars. Most dryers have two curved metal strips inside the front of the drum, near the lint screen. Dryer-sheet residue coats them, and a coated sensor misreads the load. Samsung recommends wiping them with a soft cloth and a drop of dish soap.
5. Feel the air at the outside vent. While the dryer runs, the outside vent flap should open and push out a strong stream of warm air. Whirlpool's rule of thumb is that if the airflow is weaker than a hair dryer on high, the vent needs cleaning. If your vent exits through the roof, do not climb up to check it; leave that one to a professional.
6. Look behind the dryer. With the dryer unplugged, pull it out and check the duct between the dryer and the wall. Thin foil or plastic ducting crushes easily when the dryer is pushed back. Replace it with 4-inch rigid or semi-rigid metal duct, and clear the lint from both connections.
7. Test for heat. Run the empty dryer on a heated cycle for five minutes, then open the door and feel inside. If it is warm, the heat source is working and the problem is almost certainly airflow.

Dryer takes two cycles to dry

When everything in the laundry room checks out and the dryer still needs two cycles, suspect the vent run inside the house. In many First Coast homes, the vent does not go straight out a wall; it runs up through a hot attic and out the roof, often a long way from the laundry room, with several elbows. Long runs collect lint faster, lint piles up at the roof cap where the air slows, and birds build nests in roof caps. Whirlpool notes that animal nests can block venting, and Whirlpool recommends cleaning the venting from the dryer to the outside every one to two years, or sooner when drying slows down.

A vent can also be too long for the dryer. Manufacturers publish a maximum run length that gets shorter with every elbow; your installation instructions list it. Some Whirlpool dryers show an AF or Check Vent message when airflow is restricted, and keep running anyway.

Dryer not drying clothes all the way

If an automatic cycle ends with seams, pockets and towels still damp, the dryer thinks the load is dry when it is not. The usual reasons:

• Moisture sensor bars coated with dryer-sheet residue (check 4 above). LG notes that a contaminated sensor can cause incomplete drying.
• A dryer that is not level, so the clothes do not tumble against the sensor bars. Whirlpool lists this as a cause of wet clothes at the end of the cycle.
• Mixed loads, where light shirts dry quickly and end the cycle while the jeans and towels are still wet.
• A dryness setting turned down to "less dry".

Try a timed cycle on a full load. If a timed cycle dries the clothes and the automatic cycle does not, the sensor or its circuit is the likely cause.

Dryer takes 2 hours to dry? Check the washer

Sometimes the dryer is fine, and drying takes too long because the washer is handing it soaking-wet clothes. Squeeze a towel right after the final spin: it should feel damp, not dripping. If it drips, or water is left in the tub, the washer is not spinning properly; see washer not draining or spinning. Also check that the spin speed has not been turned down.

What usually fails

• The vent. Not a part, but the most common cause of long dry times, and the reason several parts below wear out.
• Heating element (electric). An element that is failing, or one with a burned terminal, can heat on and off, leaving the dryer warm but never hot.
• Gas valve coils or igniter (gas). When the coils weaken, the burner lights, goes out after a few minutes and may not relight, so the dryer spends much of the cycle cold.
• Cycling thermostat. It switches the heat on and off to hold the drum temperature. One that opens too early keeps the dryer running cool.
• Moisture sensor or control. Ends automatic cycles early and leaves clothes damp, even after the sensor bars are cleaned.
• Blower wheel. Lint wrapped around the blower, or a cracked blower wheel, cuts airflow from inside the dryer.
• High-limit thermostat and thermal fuse. Safety devices that trip when the dryer overheats, almost always because of restricted airflow. Replacing them without fixing the vent means they trip again.

What dryer repair costs in Jacksonville

The diagnostic is 79 and is waived when you approve the repair. Dryer repairs start at 179 labor plus parts, and you get a written flat-rate estimate before any work begins. Every dryer repair includes a vent airflow check, because a new part in a dryer that cannot breathe will fail again. We carry common parts on the van, so most repairs are finished on the first visit, and if a part has to be ordered, there is no trip charge for the return visit. Every repair carries our 90-day parts-and-labor warranty. See our pricing for the details.

Keep it drying fast

• Clean the lint screen before every load, and wash it every few months if you use dryer sheets or fabric softener.
• Have the vent cleaned every one to two years, and more often if it runs to the roof.
• Leave a few inches behind the dryer so the duct never gets crushed.

Schedule dryer repair or call (904) 561-4790 for same-day service across Jacksonville & the First Coast.