Please Help Me, Um,... Whoever Is The Patron Saint Of Dryers!

You know the slot in your dryer that holds the filter?  Well, all the kids love to pull it out and clean the lint off.  Anthony is no exception.  Well, he doesn't clean it off, he just pulls it out and tries to put it back in again, over and over.  This morning, he came into the laundry room with me and sure enough, as I opened the dryer, he reached for the filter and pulled it out.  Only to drop the blue marker he was carrying(which I unfortunately hadn't noticed) down the slot!  The slot that is too skinny even for a child's arm to reach down. 

I peered down that slot and I saw many clumps of lint and that marker sitting down at the bottom where the vent curves and goes under the drum of the dryer.  What to do?  I didn't really want to run the dryer with that marker sitting down there and I had loads of laundry waiting to be washed and dryed.  So waiting until Dan got home was not my first choice.  I needed something long and skinny to try to fish it out.

First, I tried a plastic sword.  It could reach far enough, but I wasn't able to use it to get out the marker.  Next, I thought of the long attachment on the vacuum cleaner.  Maybe I could suction it out with that.  I went to get the vacuum from upstairs and while I was gone, a "helpful" child shoved the marker down farther into the curve of the vent with the sword.  Aaaaaah!

Banishing all children from the laundry room, and sending one for the flashlight, which I had forgotten, I tried the vacuum cleaner attachment.  It would not go down far enough to suck out the marker.  Failed again.  I sucked out the lint however, so that was good. 

Then, I went and got a wire hanger, bent it into a good shape, and tried to move the marker into a better spot so I could reach it with the vacuum.  It was really tricky!  At this point, I thought to myself, "I wonder who the patron saint of dryers is?"  Definitely needing some assistance, I sent up a prayer to the Patron Saint of Dryers, whoever he or she might be, rebent the hanger, and tried again.  This time, the marker moved, but into an even worse position.  I could only see about an inch of it.  Oh no!  I bent the hanger some more and fished again and what do you think happened? 

Somehow that marker moved out of the curve and partway back up the slot and the end of it was right next to the end of the vacuum cleaner attachment which I had left sticking down into the slot as far as it would go, running.  Holding my breath, I moved the vacuum tool a little and the marker moved with it.  Cautiously, I pulled out the vacuum tool and the marker came out with it and I was able to grab it!  Hooray!  I think the neighbors could have heard me whooping and hollering in my excitement. 

So, today, I am thanking the Patron Saint of Dryers for his or her assistance!