We take dryer vents for granted. The venting concept is simple enough: It allows moist, hot air a direct path to the exterior of the house. Putting a vent in correctly can be tricky, but if you do it ...

Developed in 19th-century England, the first mechanized clothes dryers were perforated barrels that rotated over flames. Today’s appliances are not so very different, at least in principle, with ...