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.
  
  

General Burning Smell

• If your Hoover dryer is emitting a general burning smell, with an odor 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.
  
  

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 burned 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.
  
  

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 authorized service center. Unit malfunctions include difficulty turning the dryer on or complete failure of the machine, or the clothes not drying properly. An authorized repair person can better tell you what is wrong with your dryer and assess the safety of continuing to use it.