Residue on Frigidaire Heating Duct
 

Hi everyone. I have a Frigidaire drier that has accumulated some residue on the heating duct. I'm not sure what it's from, but it's a really sticky substance that sometimes will catch dryer sheets and it occasionally finds its way onto clothes which creates a sticky mess.

Has anyone encountered this problem? I was going to just buy a new duct, but realized this part is over $100 and part of a larger assembly. Any cleaning recommendations would be great.

Thank you.

Anyone have an idea? Thanks.

Residue
 

This actually can be from the detergent and/or softener you use. Also, if any clothes have gotten caught on the back vent when drying and have melted somewhat on the vent/duct area. Have you noticed any damaged clothing? Softener has a tendency to turn almost black when it is burnt. This can happen when left over softener on clothes is mixed with too high of heating temps and cause that. You also might want to quit using fabric softener sheets. They will melt a residue unto the unit in various areas as well.

The first time I noticed it was from a dryer sheet getting stuck on the duct. We have not had any damaged clothing, but sometimes the residue will get onto clothing or cause smaller items like a sock to stick.

I have been looking into alternatives to the dryer sheets, but any idea how to get the residue off? I was thinking of getting the dryer hot and using a wire brush.

Residue
 

That is one way, or you can simply use a hair dryer on the vent and see if it will help loosen, by melting, the area. You may also use a household remedy I suggest all the time, on just about everything, baking soda and lime juice. It will bubble and help eat through grease and grime. See if that helps you and let me know the outcome. Also too, with dryers reaching up to 150ºF it can burn the coating on the vent and cause discoloration too. You may find out that it is burnt coating and not any residue so to speak. Let me know!

I realize this post is over 6 months old, but I am having the exact same problem. My heat grate looks identical. I have tried to clean the grate, but nothing worked until I used a wire brush in a drill to grind it off. It reappears in a day or two. Many clothes have been ruined already. My dryer is a Frigidaire model FAQG7011KW0. It is almost 2 years old. We noticed clothes being damaged about 6 months ago. Before then I can't say for sure whether the black residue was there, but I don't think so. Certainly no clothes were ruined for the first year or so. Any ideas or solutions that have worked would be really great. The dryer vent is not plugged.