Alternatives to Ugly Dryer Vent Hoods

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Have you ever wondered why 99.9% of dryer vent hoods appear to be the $5 plastic variety? These dryer vent hoods or vent covers look like someone either installed very tiny venetian blinds on your exterior wall, or that you’re possibly trying to catch small rodents in a flimsy, lint-filled cage. Either way they don’t really convey high style. They’re almost always glaring white, regardless of the color of the home, or what colors might be aesthetically pleasing. They’re also prone to lint blockages and critters finding their way inside. Today, we’re going to propose something radical: replace your cheapie dryer vent hood with something that actually looks good! It’s typically a ten minute job that can have a subtle, but very nice visual impact on your home. We’ll dive into our experience with one particular brand as well as cover some alternative stylish dryer vent products to consider.

linteater-jr
Dryer vent cleaning kits like this LintEater Jr are inexpensive and might prevent a fire

Before we get into the in and outs of dryer vent hood alternatives, let’s start with a little public service announcement. Regardless of whether you decide to replace your ugly dryer vent hood, we highly recommend cleaning out your dryer vent. Depending on how your dryer is installed and how long your vent run is, a vent cleaning can be a simple diy job with a basic dryer vent cleaning kit, or something you hire a local company for.

In-O-Vate Dryer Wall Vent

dryer wall vent
Out with the old, in with the new. The Dryer Wall Vent’s design isn’t likely to trap much lint.

A couple years ago we were covering the National Hardware Show when we stumbled across the In-O-Vate company booth. It was filled with dryer vent products, including their line of sleek Dryer Wall Vents available in white, tan and brown options. They sent us a couple to evaluate, and a prompt 2 1/2 years later, we’re sharing the info!

Dryer Wall Vent features
Dryer Wall Vent key features

At first glance, the Dryer Wall Vent looks very simple. Its clean lines hide some of its features, including a magnetic closure to help secure the door automatically, and two small rubber bumpers to avoid the dreaded noise your metal dryer vent hood makes when it flaps shut. The magnets are just strong enough to close the door, but light enough that the door will still swing open easily when air starts flowing from your dryer. The design is elegant and neutral enough to work on both traditional and more modern style homes.

The “Zero Airflow Restriction Design” in action

Because there is no “cage” or grill needed to keep critters out, there is also less risk of lint build-up. Aside from a clean design that is aesthetically appealing, it turns out the Dryer Wall Vent’s design results in little to no resistance to the air escaping from your dyer. And, unlike your plastic vent hood, which is probably deteriorating right now, the 26 & 30 Gauge, powder-coated steel design is intended to minimize corrosion. Ours still looks as good as when it was installed more than two years ago. How’s that for procrastinating long term testing?! The design also makes cleaning your vent readily accessible.

Here’s a quick video covering a slightly more complicated install than ours:

Dryer Vent Hood Installation

OCD dryer vent hood install tip – use a short level to keep things looking sharp!

Installation was very easy in our case, since the vent was ground level and accessible from both sides of the wall. In most cases, you’ll simply unscrew the existing vent hood and then connect the snug-fitting duct connection on the Dryer Wall Vent to your existing 4″ duct pipe. In-O-Vate suggested installing the Dryer Wall Vent using caulk or a “weather-proof butyl-like sealant / adhesive.”

Do as we say, not as we do. Screwing the dryer vent hood’s frame in place skewed it slightly, causing interference with full closing.

Somehow I could not bring myself to install in that fastener-less fashion, so I carefully ran four screws through the included screw mount holes, despite their warnings that doing so can skew the frame and interfere with closing. As a result, our vent fails to close all the way at times. I might be able to un-skew the frame, but I haven’t bothered to do so yet. My advice would be to follow their advice – install without screws unless you really feel your dryer vent hood will want to jump out of place.

dryer wall vent
The Dryer Wall Vent shown on a commercial application. Nice ‘n’ clean! Photo – In-O-Vate

Dryer Vent Hood Alternatives

Despite our favorable experience with the Dryer Wall Vent, there are other dryer vent cover alternatives out there. For traditional homes and architecture, I’m a fan of using copper for accents. It lasts forever, and it’s hard to match the appeal and warmth of copper and its natural patina over time.

copper vent hood
Copper dryer vent hoods are a great option for traditional architecture Photo – LuxuryMetals.com

If your home features contemporary architecture, then an aluminum or, better yet, stainless steel option might be preferred. We dig the style on the Seiho aluminum dryer vent hood from HvacQuick, shown below.

The stylish Seiho dryer vent hood works great with more contemporary homes

When it comes to the appeal of a home, often times the little details can make big impressions. Now that we have hopefully given you a few ideas, splurge a little, grab yourself a fancy-pants dryer vent hood and dial up your home’s style a notch or two. Oh, and don’t forget to clean out all that dryer lint while you’re at it!

In-O-Vate Dryer Wall Vent for $30:

Buy Now - via Better Venting

More Info - via In-O-Vate

DIY Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit $20-$30:

Buy Now - via Home Depot

Photo of author

About Marc Lyman

Marc grew up under a brave single mom who "encouraged" home improvement on the family home. Early toddler gifts included a tool set, and even a cordless Bosch drill when cordless drills first came out. In grade school (give or take a few years), Marc's mom said, "We need to cut down some trees. . . . here's a chainsaw." A father figure also involved Marc in many home improvement projects, including a summer of home remodeling in Palo Alto, CA. Toss in some Obsessive Compulsive personality traits researching everything home improvement related. The end result: a genetically pre-disposed, socially sculpted home improvement machine! For his complete profile, please visit our About page. Really, it's worth it.

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