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Both of my neighbors have had issues with birds nesting in the vents in each of their houses. Securing the bathroom exhaust vents against birds seems straightforward to me: simply replace the vent hood with one that has a mesh around it (something like this).

However, this seems like the wrong thing to use with a dryer vent. I'm concerned about lint getting caught up in the mesh of the vent, ultimately causing the ventilation of said vent to be lowered dramatically.

Are there any clever means of securing a dryer vent against nesting birds, while keeping it relatively open to allow small bits of lint to escape? My dryer vent is unfortunately on the second floor of my house, making my job that much more difficult.

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  • ... add a speaker playing rock-n-roll out the vent?
    – Daniel Griscom
    Jun 6, 2016 at 12:13
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    If you look at the vent you link to, it is specifically marked for dryers. The holes are large and should not get clogged for a very long time, especially if you regularly clean the lint filter in the dryer..
    – bib
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:02
  • Not according to one of the customer questions on that page: "Does the dryer lint ever build up inside the bird guard? How often does it need to be cleaned?, Answer: Yes, the lint builds up in this. I pull the lint out through the holes about once a month. I wish it would snap off for cleaning, but it doesn't...it's screwed in place. :-(
    – Jonah Bishop
    Jun 6, 2016 at 13:36
  • You also could retrofit a standard vent with hood using hardware cloth with 1/2" openings. The thin wire would be even less prone to catch lint.
    – bib
    Jun 6, 2016 at 16:37

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I have installed a vent screen that looks almost exactly like the one you linked to. Mine had a plastic frame piece that screwed to the wall around the vent assembly. Then the screen part just snaps onto the sides of the frame with a snap.

It can be easily removed for cleaning out accumulated lint by inserting a flat blade screw driver into a notch on either side.

Yes the screen does catch some lint but I have rarely had to clean it more than once in 4 to 6 months. It really does depend upon several factors as to how often cleaning is required.

  1. How often you run a load of laundry through the dryer
  2. What types of things are being dryed
  3. Whether you have a good lint screen in the dryer
  4. Whether you make sure to clean the dryer screen each load
  5. If there is any possible lint that falls off the dryer screen into the dryer innards whenever you pull it out for cleaning.
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