Popular in Europe where homes often aren’t built with vents, ventless dryers are now widely available in North America too. As the name suggests they require no venting whatsoever and can simply be plugged into a wall receptacle. But they offer other advantages too.
A ventless dryer is a great choice when you have no outside venting for your dryer and where space is limited. A ventless dryer is easier to set up, requires no vent of any kind and tends to be more compact than vented dryers. It also tends to use less energy than other dryers.
If you have around 2 cu. ft of space, you can place a ventless dryer in your desired space as long as it’s close to a plug receptacle.
While around 80% of American homes have a dryer, only around 2% of them are ventless models. But they are growing in popularity as people realize the benefits.
Let’s take a closer look at the ventless dryer in more detail including the different styles and the drying process they utilize.
How does a ventless dryer work?
While a vented dryer that is standard in North America pumps heated air into the dryer to tumble dry wet clothing, a vented dryer works differently. There are two styles of ventless dryers and they work slightly differently:
Condenser ventless dryer: The more common of the two, this is the style that condenses the water extracted from clothing and collects it in a water container that needs to be manually emptied or drains through a hose into a floor drain. Can produce heat and humidity in the room.
Heat pump ventless dryer: A highly efficient model that is relatively new on the market and less popular than the condenser version. It doesn’t have a condenser and instead continuously cycles hot air in the drum to dry clothing. Produces less heat and humidity in the room than the condenser model.
A ventless dryer works as follows:
| 1. Room temperature air enters the ventless dryer. |
| 2. The air is heated by way of the dryer’s heat exchanger. |
| 3. The heated air is pushed into the drum of the dryer where the wet clothes are tumbling. |
| 4. The wet laundry is heated up by the hot air and the moisture in the clothing is evaporated or condensed depending on the model. |
| 5. Wet air from the drums then enters the heat exchanger and is passed to the water collection tank or through a hose on the floor, depending on the dryer model (condenser model). |
| The process then repeats until the clothes are dried. |
Ventless dryer pros and cons
A ventless dryer pulls moisture from your clothes and moves the water to a built in receptacle that needs to be emptied every so often (condenser model). It’s different from a vented dryer which removes water from clothes and vents the moist air outside your house. As such, it operates differently from a “regular” dryer.
Here are the main pros and cons of a ventless dryer so you can see exactly how it works and what to expect.
| Ventless dryer pros | Ventless dryer cons |
| Requires no vent of any kind. | Doesn’t always get clothes completely dry. Bed sheets, duvets and towels for example can remain slightly damp even after a long drying time. |
| Can be placed anywhere in your home that has a plug receptacle. | Tends to take longer to dry clothes particularly when compared to a HE (High Efficiency) dryer. Twice the time that a regular dryer takes to dry is not unusual when using a ventless dryer. |
| Great when you have space limitation and can only fit a small unit. | Tends to be more expensive to purchase up front than a vented dryer. |
| Larger higher capacity units are also available if you have more space. | Heated dryer air remains in the home so it can increase humidity especially in a small room. |
| Tends to use less electricity than vented models. | Smaller compact dryer units mean you may need to dry smaller loads. |
| You don’t have to worry about the hazards of a blocked vent as with with vented dryers as no vent is needed. | Heats up less than a vented dryer so you won’t get bone dry, warm clothing fresh from the dryer in some cases. |
| Easier and quicker to install (just plug in) and less maintenance required than vented models. | Not a great choice when time of drying is your most important criteria as vented dryers work faster. |
Does a ventless dryer have a lint trap?
Yes, ventless dryers have a lint trap that is typically located just inside the door. It can easily be pulled out and cleaned as needed similar to a vented dryer.
Since there is no vent, you don’t have to worry about an external vent getting clogged or having to be cleaned so the only thing you need to concern yourself with is cleaning the lint trap(s) as needed.
Do ventless dryers promote mold?
If you plan on putting the ventless dryer in a small space with limited air flow, increased humidity could be a concern which could lead to mold. Since the hot air is recycled and there is no external venting, humid air may enter the room. If you have the option you could place the ventless dryer in a room with a ceiling fan or crack a window when using it to encourage fresh air from outside the home.
In my experience using a ventless dryer, we used it in a relatively large room and did notice what felt like a slightly more humid environment when the dryer was used for a period of time. Having said that, we didn’t notice mold being a problem.
Are ventless dryers a fire hazard?
Ventless dryers are safe as long as they are used properly. This means not over packing them with clothes and cleaning the lint trap as required. Same as a regular dryer.
Since there is no outside vent as with a vented dryer, this is one less thing to worry about. Typically with vented dryers, the venting pipe can get clogged with lint which can create a fire hazard. Since there is no venting pipe with a ventless dryer, this hazard is removed.
A ventless dryer also tends to operate at a lower temperature than a vented dryer too. Not only can this increase safety but it’s also easier on your clothes too.
A ventless dryer needs some ventilation so it’s best to leave a space of at least 6″ behind the unit from the wall unless your model requires more space.
Do you have to empty water from a ventless dryer?
If your ventless dryer collects condensed water in a receptacle, you will need to empty this regularly. If your ventless dryer model drains through a hose onto the floor into your floor drain, there will be nothing for you to do other than ensure that that proper drainage occurs.
You’ll typically have to drain your water receptacle each time you use the dryer for an extended period of time but it only takes around 30 seconds to do so.
Summary
The main reasons why a ventless dryer makes sense is if space is a problem in your home and you’d like a smaller dryer unit or in the instance where you have no venting installed in your home. Constructing venting in your home is costly and purchasing a ventless dryer is cheaper and quicker. A ventless dryer can be installed anywhere in your home as long as you have a plug receptacle nearby.
If shorter drying time is your biggest concern and venting isn’t a problem in your home, a regular vented dryer might be your best bet especially with modern High Efficiency models being both energy and time efficient. Vented dryers heat up to a higher level which decreases the drying time.