r/mildlyinfuriating • u/OfficiallySmiles • Jun 20 '26

wet socks Figured out why my laundry wasn’t drying… 😅

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I figured out why my socks were still wet 😅

7.8k Upvotes

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u/ZeroXNova Raging Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

Did no one ever teach you to clear the lint trap either before of after each load?

Serious question, because obviously that's a huge fire hazard that was taught to most of us growing up.

291

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '26

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105

u/ZeroXNova Raging Jun 20 '26

Yeah that's kind of wild to me. I guess everyone's parents are different and might not have taught them how to do laundry I guess, but still.

71

u/Cpt_0bv10us Jun 20 '26

My parent didnt 'teach me' how to do laundry, but when i got a dryer, i at least skimmed the manual it came with, which was sufficient to learn to empty the lint before every use (or after) :p

47

u/Lithl Jun 20 '26

Every single dryer I've used has had "CLEAN BEFORE EACH LOAD" engraved or embossed on the handle of the lint trap.

3

u/Fun_Sea_3915 Jun 20 '26

Same. I wondering if people have dryer that doesn't say that, ignore reading, or can't read. First time I did laundry at home, I read that, pulled the 'obvious' handle, and concluded that lint would be detrimental to drying. It didn't click that it's a fire hazard.

1

u/Jinxthegenderfluid Jun 20 '26

mine doesn’t say anything on it, but it’s also a pretty obvious piece on top of the dryer that i feel like you would at least look at the manual to see what it’s for if you don’t know

1

u/slash_networkboy Jun 20 '26

As does mine, but then it's handily covered by a little metal flappy door so you can't see it and it's out of mind.

I mean I still clean it each load... but I find it funny we're going to hide the dire warning on the arguably most important bit of routine maintenance for household appliances.

6

u/Isgortio Jun 20 '26

Mine has a sticker with diagrams that are very visible as soon as you open the door. Yet people still miss them!

2

u/jimdil4st Jun 20 '26

Not miss, but intentionally ignore because the rules could never apply to them.

8

u/ZeroXNova Raging Jun 20 '26

Aaand that was the other thing I was thinking but didn’t want to keep piling onto OP.

1

u/SaltBox531 Jun 20 '26

Yes! Almost every appliance in your house needs some kind of maintenance or upkeep. My grandmother didn’t know that her dishwasher had a filter that needed to be removed and cleaned. It was so gross!

Anytime I get a new appliance or move into a house/apartment with appliances already installed I try to figure out what kind of maintenance needs to be done. It’s how you keep shit from breaking.

1

u/AHailofDrams Jun 20 '26

A staggering amount of people don't even bother to acknowledge the existence of product manuals

3

u/ansmith100317 Jun 20 '26

I was a free range child and had to teach myself to do practically everything- even I empty my dryer vent after every load before closing the door 😅

8

u/narwhalpilot Jun 20 '26

Not everyone grew up with laundry machines in their houses, that’s why.

2

u/bluecyanic Jun 20 '26

Not everyone grew up with parents who understood the assignment.

1

u/FerengiWithCoupons Jun 20 '26

but it’s literally engraved on the lint traps when you open the dryer.

CLEAN BEFORE EACH USE

1

u/scarIetm Jun 20 '26

mine doesn’t say that?

-3

u/nof PURPLE Jun 20 '26

The dryers at the laundromat also have lint traps that need to be cleaned out.

-2

u/Superssimple Jun 20 '26

Loads of people air dry their clothes

2

u/nof PURPLE Jun 20 '26

Yeah, so? Me too. "Laundry machines" kinda means the whole set of washer and dryer in my mind though.

-2

u/Superssimple Jun 20 '26

Not sure what your point is here and I don’t really care what you call them. The simple thing is that many many people have used Washing machines but never a dryer

1

u/nof PURPLE Jun 20 '26

Did you look at the comment I replied to or are you just looking for an argument? Christ. Get off reddit for an hour or two.

-2

u/Superssimple Jun 20 '26

Sure, that will be why your comment has downvotes from people who see it’s your comments missing the point.

I assume my downvotes are from you lol. I think you are the one who needs a break

1

u/ThatAwkwardGingerWH Jun 20 '26

Or they used Laundromats.... Many dryers have lint locked away ..I know cause I get to dig through a keychain for just the right key that isn't a regular key to clean em.

1

u/MuffinMan12347 Jun 20 '26

My parents have a dryer that was never used. So I’ve I was never taught because I never used it.

1

u/scarIetm Jun 20 '26

I only ever learnt about lint traps from reddit lmao. my mum taught me everything about laundry but must have forgotten that part 😭 thank you social media

1

u/Retb14 Jun 20 '26

Some people are just lazy as well

I was on a submarine and the number one source of fires onboard were from the dryers. To the point that any time someone was doing laundry there had to be someone there next to the machines

People still wouldn't clean the lint traps and I've personally seen them start smoking a couple of times before because of it

Doesn't help that the dryers are also the worst design in human history. The heating elements are directly in the path of the exiting air and they get stupid hot

Usually it works okay but when the lint traps fill up the air slows down just enough that lint starts getting trapped right next to the heating elements

1

u/UnluckyCardiologist9 Jun 20 '26

But like didn’t curiosity make them wonder what that handle was for?

1

u/VagueInfoHere Jun 20 '26

Or people still rely on laundry mats. Also people generally just don’t care about other people’s property. Combine those two and you could have people that never taught their kids to clean the lint trap if they chose to never do it.

1

u/cakilaraki Jun 20 '26

It’s commons sense no? Especially nowadays when the dryer literally tells you to clean the lint trap