My clothes take two cycles to dry — what's wrong?
Ninety percent of the time, clothes taking two cycles to dry means the vent is restricted. The dryer's heat output is fine; the moist exhaust air just can't escape fast enough. A professional vent cleaning typically restores normal drying time immediately. If cleaning doesn't fix it, the next suspects are the heating element or thermistor.
A modern residential dryer should dry a normal load in 30–45 minutes. If you're consistently needing two cycles (or a 90-minute single cycle on auto-dry), the dryer is working twice as hard as it should be — and the energy bill reflects that.
Top suspect: restricted vent. The heat in the drum is fine, but the hot, moisture-laden air needs somewhere to go. When the vent is partially clogged, every cubic foot of air coming out of the drum has to be replaced by drier air — and if the exhaust can't leave, neither can the moisture. The drum becomes a steam room.
First action: our $49.99 inspection will tell you in 20 minutes whether it's a vent issue. Eight times out of ten it is, and a $220 routine cleaning drops drying times right back to 30–45 minutes on the next load.
If the vent is clear and the problem persists: the heating element or thermistor is the next likely culprit. That's a dryer service call, not a vent service call — but ruling out the vent first is almost always cheaper and faster.
Manufacturer resources
Official support pages for brands commonly referenced in this answer.
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