Cleaning out the vent of your clothes dryer is hardly a glamorous task, but it’s a necessary one that decreases the risk of fires in your home and saves you money too. Here’s how to do it.
The vast majority of problems you’ll experience with your dryer are a direct result of failure to routinely clean the dyer. It’s easy to not think about it, and if you’ve never cleaned out your dryer, we certainly won’t hold it against you. Doing so is important both from the standpoint of extending the life of your appliance and safety. Here’s why and how to do so.
Why Clean Your Vent?
When it comes to cleaning tasks around the home, some things are low-priority and low risk, and then there are things that you simply shouldn’t dump in the some-day-never category.
Dusting the trim above a doorway is one of those low-priority type tasks. Yes, it’s nice to have all the trim work in your home dusted, but if you neglect it (for years even), nothing awful will come of it. Dryer vents, on the other hand, are a different story. There are nearly 3,000 reported dryer fires a year in the United States, resulting in an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property damage according to the U.S. Fire Administration. A third of those fires are directly attributable to a failure to clean the dryer.
Even if you’re lucky enough to avoid something as serious as a house fire resulting from a poorly maintained dryer, not cleaning the vent decreases the efficiency of your dryer (which wastes both energy and money), reduces the lifespan of the dryer (consider not cleaning it akin to not changing the oil in your car), leads to clothes drying improperly (which can lead to odors), and can cause the building up mildew and mold in the dryer vent (which also leads to odors).
Strong Indicators Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning
Cleaning your dryer vent at least once a year is a definite must-do bit of home maintenance. Whether you experience any of these indicators or not, you should still take the time to do it.
If you experience any of the following things, however, you’re long overdue for a cleaning and should attend to it as soon as possible.
Your Dryer Is Drafty
If you feel a bit of a draft inside your clothes dryer when you’re emptying it, that indicates the flapper on the exterior of your home or apartment is stuck open. Typically compacted dryer lint and debris is the cause of this situation, as it builds up enough to prevent the cover on the end of the vent from closing correctly.
Your Clothing Isn’t Completely Dry
If you’ve run your clothes through a full cycle and they aren’t completely dry, it’s a good indicator the damp air from the dryer is not venting efficiently. If they’re still really damp, it’s likely the dryer heating element is malfunctioning (and you should call in a service person to look at it) but if they’re warm but still a little damp (when previously that particular drying cycle did the trick), it’s likely a ventilation issue.
Your Clothing Smells Odd
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Source : Clean Your Dryer Vent to Save Money and Prevent Fires
