--- title: "Laundry Taking Two Cycles to Dry: The Lint Path Is Usually Why: Causes and Fixes" description: "Laundry taking two cycles to dry is a load that comes out damp at the end of a normal cycle and needs another run, often with a hotter cabinet and a muggier…" url: "https://appliancemaintenance.center/problems/laundry-taking-two-cycles-to-dry/" --- # Laundry Taking Two Cycles to Dry: The Lint Path Is Usually Why Laundry taking two cycles to dry is a load that comes out damp at the end of a normal cycle and needs another run, often with a hotter cabinet and a muggier laundry room. ## What it usually means. A vented laundry machine dries by moving a lot of warm air through the drum and pushing the wet air out of the house. Heat alone does little; airflow does the work. When loads start needing a second cycle, the machine is almost always still heating but no longer moving air the way it should. The most common place for the air to stop is somewhere along the lint path: a screen coated with softener film, lint packed in the screen housing, a transition duct crushed behind the machine, a long wall or roof run lined with years of fluff, or an outdoor hood with its flap stuck. The other half of the story is the washer. A drain filter clogged with debris or a spin that cannot finish sends the load over wetter than it should be, and the dryer is blamed for it. Oversized loads, very heavy towels and a machine set to a low-heat or delicate setting also stretch the time. Upkeep fixes most of it: the lint path cleaned end to end, the duct replaced with metal where it is crushed, and the washer's drain filter and spin checked. If the airflow is good and the heater or burner still does not warm, a part has failed; that is a repair for the sister dryer repair site. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Is the load damp all through, or dry on the outside and damp in the seams? 02 Do loads come out of the washer wetter than they used to, dripping instead of just damp? 03 Does the cabinet top get hotter than usual, or the laundry room muggy while it runs? 04 Outside, does the hood flap open and push warm air when the machine runs? 05 When was the exhaust run last cleaned, and how long is it? ## Check these before you book. Laundry taking two cycles to dry: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Wash the lint screen in warm soapy water and see whether water runs through it freely. 02 Go outside while the machine runs and feel for a strong, warm flow at the hood. 03 Look behind the machine for a crushed or disconnected duct, without moving a gas model off its connector. ### Also worth checking - Check whether loads leave the washer dripping; if so, open and clear its drain filter. - Run a normal-size load on a normal setting and time it against what it used to take. ### How soon does it need a visit? Slow drying is not an emergency, but it is the early form of the same blockage that causes lint fires. Book a lint path cleaning within a week or two, and stop using the machine at once if there is a burning smell or the cabinet gets too hot to touch. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things laundry taking two cycles to dry: the lint path is usually why turns out to be, from overloaded drum or a low-heat setting to heater, burner or thermostat failed. [The cost guide](https://appliancemaintenance.center/cost/) 1. 01 no service ### Overloaded drum or a low-heat setting A packed drum stops the tumble, and a delicate or low-heat setting runs cooler by design. Try a normal load on a normal setting before anything else. No service: check it yourself 2. 02 no service ### Lint screen coated with film Softener sheets can leave a clear film that blocks the mesh while it looks clean. Wash the screen in warm soapy water with a soft brush, dry it and refit it. No service: check it yourself 3. 03 low ### Drain filter clogged on the washing side A washer that cannot drain fully cannot spin at full speed, so loads arrive dripping. The drain filter is cleared and the spin checked. [Fixed by drum seal and drain filter cleaning](https://appliancemaintenance.center/services/drum-seal-and-drain-filter-cleaning/) [On a laundry machine](https://appliancemaintenance.center/types/laundry-maintenance/) 4. 04 low ### Transition duct crushed behind the machine Foil or plastic duct folded against the wall chokes the airflow at the first step. It is replaced with a short run of metal duct. [Fixed by lint path and exhaust vent cleaning](https://appliancemaintenance.center/services/lint-path-and-exhaust-vent-cleaning/) [On a laundry machine](https://appliancemaintenance.center/types/laundry-maintenance/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### Lint along the wall run and outdoor hood A run that has not been cleaned in years narrows until the machine cannot push air out. The whole run is cleaned from both ends and the hood flap freed. [Fixed by lint path and exhaust vent cleaning](https://appliancemaintenance.center/services/lint-path-and-exhaust-vent-cleaning/) [On a laundry machine](https://appliancemaintenance.center/types/laundry-maintenance/) 6. 06 moderate ### Heater, burner or thermostat failed If the exhaust is clear and strong but the air is cool, the heat source or its control has failed. That is a repair for the sister dryer repair site. [Book a diagnostic visit](https://appliancemaintenance.center/services/diagnostic-visit/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with hot or burning lint smell in the laundry room: stop the cycle, then appliance energy use creeping up with nothing else changed. [All problems](https://appliancemaintenance.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`EF1` Electrolux · Vents and airflow](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/electrolux-ef1-ventilation-blockage/) - [`Lint Screen / Exhaust Vent Cleaning` Electrolux · Vents and airflow](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/electrolux-dryer-lint-and-vent-schedule/) - [`CLr FLtr` Fisher & Paykel · Filters](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-washer-clr-fltr/) - [`Lint cLn` Fisher & Paykel · Filters](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-dryer-lint-cln/) - [`cLn cond` Fisher & Paykel · Vents and airflow](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-dryer-cln-cond/) - [`18` GE Profile · Water, fill and drain](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/ge-profile-washer-code-18/) [7 more codes, by make](https://appliancemaintenance.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Appliance Maintenance Code or Reminder Light: Filter, Descale, Vent Check** 8 causes](https://appliancemaintenance.center/problems/appliance-maintenance-code/) Fire, gas, water or wiring risk ### Hot or Burning Lint Smell in the Laundry Room: Stop the Cycle 6 causes ### Appliance Energy Use Creeping Up With Nothing Else Changed 6 causes ### Laundry Drum Smelling Musty: Door Boot, Drain Filter and Detergent 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 35 makes on this site; laundry taking two cycles to dry: the lint path is usually why can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 35 brands](https://appliancemaintenance.center/brands/) ## Laundry Taking Two Cycles to Dry: The Lint Path Is Usually Why, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. 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Air that cannot leave through the exhaust leaks out of the door seal and the duct joints instead. It is a sign of the same blockage that slows drying. ### Is a longer exhaust run always slower? Every foot and every bend adds resistance, and each machine's installation guide gives a maximum length for its run. A long run can still work well if it is smooth metal and kept clean. ### Does the spin speed on the washing side matter? A lot. A higher final spin leaves less water in the load, which shortens drying. A clogged drain filter or an unbalanced load can stop the spin from reaching speed. ### Can a condenser or heat pump model be slow for the same reasons? Yes, although there is no outside run. Their door screen, a second filter and the condenser or heat exchanger all need cleaning, and a clogged one slows every load. --- **[Read on the site: Laundry Taking Two Cycles to Dry: The Lint Path Is Usually Why: Causes and Fixes](https://appliancemaintenance.center/problems/laundry-taking-two-cycles-to-dry/)** **[Book a visit with ApplianceMaintenance.center](https://appliancemaintenance.center/schedule/)**