Where are the hidden filters on my appliances?
Washers, dryers, and dishwashers contain hidden filters that often go uncleaned for years because people do not realize they are there. Forgetting to check them leads to nasty buildups of old debris like broken plates, or can even cause a smoldering dryer fire.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Where are the hidden filters on my appliances?
- 1Establishing a household rule to never run the dryer while asleep or not at home.Did this help you?
- 2Paying a professional service to come out and clean the appliance ducts.Did this help you?
- 3Relying on smart appliance features that try to detect when a vent is getting clogged.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“First time cleaning it since we moved in in 2019, and I suspect it hadn't been done for several years before that.”source ↗
“My new washing machine has a drain water filter that I just remember is supposed to be cleaned once a month and it's been 3 months.”source ↗
“We narrowly averted having a dryer fire. Thankfully I was right there and could smell the smoldering and my laundry room filled up with smoke.”source ↗
“Where the heck is the dishwasher filter.”source ↗
“Yeah I honestly didn’t really know about this until recently. When I finally cleaned it, I found shards of broken plates in there that weren’t even ours. It was super nasty in there :(”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2Why does the house still look dirty after cleaning?
- 12How to keep a messy house clean with kids and a full-time job
- 3Why do roommates put unwashed dishes on the drying rack?
- 6How to clean cement-like buildup between dry cooler fins
- 2Oven won't heat after self cleaning cycle
- 4How to get mold out of forgotten laundry