Got Birds In The Dryer Vent? Your Dog Could Probably Tell You...

Written by Lynnette on April 12, 2008 | Comments (0)

Q: How do you know Spring has arrived?...

A: Your dog takes an unusual interest in the clothes dryer.

Upon closer inspection, you find that it's the birds building their nests inside dryer vent that has actually captured your dog's attention. Nonetheless, it's both annoying and hilarious at the same time.

We've been dealing with this for 3 or 4 years now. Every Spring, there is one mama bird that insists on building its nest in our clothes dryer vent.

I don't know why we just don't get one of those dryer vent covers for the outside of our house, which would (hopefully) prevent the birds from entering the dryer vent in the first place. Instead, we've simply been chasing the birds out each time we notice they're in there.

How? Either by stomping on the bathroom floor which is between the outside entrance to the dryer vent and the laundry room itself. Or, by turning the clothes dryer on, which immedialy forces the birds to get the heck up out of there and fly to the nearby fence or trees -- at least temporarily.

I know. It's not ideal. But until we take the time to create a permanent fix, it works.

This year, we did such a good job of deterring their stay inside the dryer vent that we haven't had to pull any bird nest materials out of the vent itself, for a change.

Dogs Love Birds
Despite the minor inconveniences (the birds can make a lot of noise sometimes, especially when they're hopping around in there building their nests) AND the fire hazzard (bird nests in a dryer vent are not a good thing)... it's somewhat comical to watch our dogs as they become intrigued by the bird noises.

On this particular day, Destin was just hanging out beside the dryer (behind those closet doors) because he could hear the mama bird building her nest. When I opened up the dryer, he just knew he was going to find the little rascal inside there. (He didn't.) So he turned his attention underneath the dryer -- where the vent extends to the outside.

Dryer Vent Covers
Here are a few different types of dryer vent covers. Generally speaking, they serve 2 purposes:

#1 to prevent cold air from entering into your home in the winter months; and
#2 to keep insects and birds from entering into your dryer vent year round.

Louvered Dryer Hood Pipe & Collared Dryer Vent