How to Remove Rust from a Clothes Dryer

The drum is the part of the dryer with which we are most familiar - it contains your clothes for the tumbling and drying. Unfortunately, the drum invites rust formation when wet or damp clothes are left in the dryer for several hours. To combat the problem, you can redo the inner drum surface with heat resistant paint.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Remove the drum from the dryer. (LINETTE, HOW DO YOU DO THIS?)

2. Remove the plastic baffles from the inside of the drum. (HOW DO YOU DO THIS?)

3. Sand inside of the drum with 100 or 120 grit sandpaper.

4. Clean the inside of the drum with a paint thinner, such as toluene, that won't leave a residue.

5. Apply engine enamel or another high temperature-resistant engine paint (you can purchase this at an auto parts store) to seal off the drum.

6. Put the drum out in the sun to dry to a hard finish before reassembling, or reassemble and run without clothes to thoroughly dry paint.

Tips & Warnings

• When drying clothes, throw in fabric softener sheets that contain silicone - these leave a thin, protective film on the drum that prevents rust from forming between loads.
• Check your washer settings to make sure that clothes are not excessively wet before drying, which can also contribute to rusting.

[dschmieleski]

on 11/19/2007 how do you remove some latex paint from dryer drum? I had a sock with paint on it in the dryer and the paint seems to have bonded to the drum. How do I get it off the drum?

[edcasey]

on 10/22/2006 Who's Lynette? She's supposed to tell me how to remove the drum, but there's no link I can find.