LG WashTower Dryer Smelling of Mice: Full Cleaning and Vent Fix in Woodside
An LG WashTower dryer in Woodside smelled of mice. We rebuilt the vent connection so mice can't climb up into the dryer, then took the dryer apart, washed and disinfected the whole air path and put it back together.
Repair at a glance
| City | Woodside, CA |
|---|---|
| Appliance | Dryer |
| Category | Major Brands |
| Brand & model | LG WashTower ThinQ stacked washer and dryer (model label not available) |
| Repair date | |
| Customer complaint | The house had a lot of mice, and the inside of the dryer smelled strongly of them. The LG WashTower was about four years old and otherwise looked new. |
| Diagnosis | The dryer vent ran into the floor, and a plain flexible duct went from the floor all the way up to the dryer. Mice could climb the ribbed duct and get into the dryer's air path, which is where the smell came from. |
| Repair cost | $615 (parts and labor) |
| Warranty | 6 months on parts and labor |
| Outcome | Repaired |
What the customer told us
The customer in Woodside called because there were many mice in the house, and the inside of her LG WashTower dryer smelled strongly of them. The unit was about four years old and still looked new.
What we found
When we pulled the WashTower out of the closet, we saw that the dryer vent went down into the floor. A regular flexible duct ran from the floor straight up to the dryer.
The ribbed surface of a flexible duct is easy for a mouse to grip, so the vent gave them a direct way into the dryer.
Closing the way in
We first installed a rigid metal pipe running vertically about four feet up from the floor, and only then connected the flexible duct. A mouse can't get a grip on the smooth metal to climb it, which blocks this route into the dryer.
Cleaning the dryer
To remove the smell we had to take the dryer apart completely. We carried the parts outside and washed them with disinfecting soap and water, let them dry and then reassembled the dryer.
We cleaned the blower fan, its housing and the fan blade, the whole air duct system, the lint filter housing with its plastic sensor and the lint filter itself.
After reassembly the dryer smelled fresh again.
Photos from this repair
The LG WashTower in its closet before we started. 
Pulling the unit out to reach the vent. 
Dryer cabinet opened up. 
Blower housing, heater and air ducts exposed. 
Washed parts drying outside: blower housing, fan blade, ducts and filter housing. 
Reassembled and clean.
Need LG dryer repair?
$85 diagnostic applied to the repair. Serving San Jose, San Francisco & the Bay Area.