Why Your Dryer Smells Like Burning (and What to Do Right Now)

A burning smell from the dryer is one appliance problem you shouldn’t wait on. Sometimes the cause is harmless, but lint and blocked vents are common causes of dryer fires, so treat the smell as a warning until you know where it’s coming from.

Here’s what to do right away, the usual causes we find, and what you can safely check yourself.

First, stop the dryer

• Stop the cycle, then unplug the dryer or switch off its breaker.
• If you see smoke or flames, get everyone out and call 911. Don’t open the door if you suspect a fire inside.
• Let the dryer cool down before you check anything.
• Gas dryer and a rotten-egg smell? That’s gas, not burning. Leave the house without using light switches and call your gas utility’s emergency line from outside.

Lint build-up, the most common cause

Lint is very flammable. Some always gets past the lint screen and collects in the screen housing, the vent and inside the cabinet around the heater. When it reaches a hot surface, it scorches and you smell it. Clean the lint screen after every load and have the inside of the cabinet and the vent cleaned out if the smell keeps coming back.

A blocked or crushed vent

If hot, damp air can’t get out, the dryer runs hotter and longer, and lint builds up faster. Long vent runs, ducts crushed behind the dryer, and old plastic or foil ducts are the usual problems. Rigid or semi-rigid metal duct is the safer choice.

• Clothes take more than one cycle to dry
• The laundry room gets unusually hot
• The flap outside barely opens while the dryer runs

A worn belt, idler pulley or drum rollers

A smell like hot rubber, often with squealing, thumping or a drum that turns slowly, points to the drive belt, the idler pulley or the drum rollers. These parts wear with age and are routine to replace.

An overheating motor

A hot electrical smell together with humming, or a dryer that stops mid-cycle and restarts after cooling, can mean the drive motor is overheating. Stop using the dryer until it’s checked.

Heating element, thermostats and thermal fuse

On electric dryers, a damaged element can sag and touch the housing; on gas models, the burner assembly can cause a scorched smell. The cycling thermostat and high-limit thermostat keep the heat in range, and the thermal fuse cuts power when the dryer overheats. If the thermal fuse keeps blowing, the real problem is usually the vent, not the fuse.

Something in the drum

Crayons, lip balm, lighters and paper left in pockets can melt or scorch on the drum. Rubber-backed bath mats and foam items shouldn’t go in the dryer at all. Check the drum and the lint screen area for residue.

When the smell is normal

A new dryer can smell for its first few cycles as a protective coating burns off, and a dryer that hasn’t been used for a while may give off a brief dusty smell when the heater first warms up. If the smell lasts more than a few minutes or comes back every load, it isn’t normal.

What’s safe to check yourself

• Clean the lint screen and vacuum the screen housing with the dryer unplugged.
• Check that the duct behind the dryer isn’t crushed or kinked.
• Run the dryer briefly and check that air pushes the outside flap open.
• Look in the drum for melted residue or items left in pockets.

When to call a technician

If the smell continues after cleaning the lint screen and checking the vent, if you smell hot rubber or hot electrical parts, or if the dryer stops or won’t heat, book a repair and don’t use the dryer until then. The technician finds the cause, gives you a written price before any work starts, and can clean out the cabinet while the dryer is open.

Frequently Asked Questions