A burning smell coming from your Hoover clothes dryer can be caused by a number of things. These warrant further inspection, and may require you to call an authorised service tech to take a look at your dryer. The most common causes of burn smells are clogged vents, backed-up lint filters and wiring issues. Identifying what kind of burning smell your dryer is emitting can help you narrow down the source.

1

Burning Wire Smell

If your dryer is electric, and the smell appears to be that of a burning wire, you may have an electrical malfunction in the unit. A new dryer can emit a smell for a time, but if your unit is not new and has previously run without emitting a burning smell, it is time to contact a repairman and have your dryer looked at. A short in a wire can be dangerous. Unplug your dryer and call for service.

  • If your dryer is electric, and the smell appears to be that of a burning wire, you may have an electrical malfunction in the unit.
2

General Burning Smell

If your Hoover dryer is emitting a general burning smell, with an odour somewhere between burning paper and rubber, you may be smelling a clog in your vent heating up. This smell should be coming from the dryer only when the unit is running. If so, turn off the dryer and unplug it. Detach the ventilation duct work from the dryer and have a look inside. If the duct contains large amounts of lint, clean or replace the duct.

  • If your Hoover dryer is emitting a general burning smell, with an odour somewhere between burning paper and rubber, you may be smelling a clog in your vent heating up.
  • Detach the ventilation duct work from the dryer and have a look inside.
3

Burning Smell Inside Dryer

If the burning smell comes from inside your dryer when you open the door, but you don't find any of your clothes burnt or damaged, you may have a packed lint trap. You should clean your lint trap after every time you use the dryer, but even if you do, lint can also fall from the trap and become lodged in the trap slot. Remove the lint trap and use a flashlight to look inside the trap slot to see if there is an accumulation of lint. If there is, unplug your unit and use a plastic or wooden tool to work the lint out as best you can. A vacuum with a plastic extension works well for this purpose.

  • If the burning smell comes from inside your dryer when you open the door, but you don't find any of your clothes burnt or damaged, you may have a packed lint trap.
  • You should clean your lint trap after every time you use the dryer, but even if you do, lint can also fall from the trap and become lodged in the trap slot.
4

Burning Smell with Unit Malfunction

If there is a burning smell coming from your Hoover dryer and there is any malfunction of the unit whatsoever, unplug it immediately and call an authorised service centre. Unit malfunctions include difficulty turning the dryer on or complete failure of the machine, or the clothes not drying properly. An authorised repair person can better tell you what is wrong with your dryer and assess the safety of continuing to use it.