Tips on dryer venting and how often should a dryer vent be cleaned?

If you neglect the health of your dryer, there is a significant risk to its performance and durability. Not to mention that you get a dryer fire three times more likely when you leave your dryer and its health deteriorates.

Cleaning the vent on our dryer is one of those hectic and annoying tasks that we’d like to put off. Maintaining your dryer vent is too costly to ignore, especially if performance, safety, and efficiency are important to you.

Tips on dryer ventilation

Below are some dry vent safety tips that should last for a lifetime:

1. Make sure that your area is free of flammable materials

Keep flammable objects away from your dryer. Sweep and dispose of flammable material that has accumulated around the dryer. If it builds up, there is a risk of fire. Keep your cleaning products and clothes baskets and make sure the area is clear of clutter.

2. Choose flexible or rigid metal vent material

Flexible or inflexible metal vent material is ideal for ensuring proper airflow and optimal drying time. Accordion piping attracts and collects lint, causing clogging. Plastic or wrapped wire foil should be replaced with non-ribbed metal ducts. Only buy from reputable and trustworthy suppliers to ensure that the device meets the established security standards.

3. Do not overload the dryer

With a hectic schedule, you can be tempted to pile up your laundry pile for a single day of cleaning. Overloading your dryer is a safety hazard and can damage the device. They also cause high repair costs and downtime.

If the pulleys, spindle bearings, and drum belt are overworked, they build up high temperatures that can start a fire. It is important that you organize and place your laundry for a longer lasting session.

4. Clean the fluff filter before and after each load of laundry

Lint, dust and dirt are the most common causes of dryer fires. They form in the dryer cavity, which is permanently hidden next to the heating elements, where temperatures can reach 550 degrees and cause a fire.

It is important that you empty the lint filter before and after each drying cycle. Also, wipe the inside of the dryer cabinet to remove any excess lint. Consider buying a lint filter to give your dryer built-in protection against lint build-up.

5. Keep the ventilation pipe clear

Blocked dryer vents are the most common cause of dryer fires. Determining when your vents are blocked can be quite a challenge. However, the hoses are primarily where lint accumulates and when it accumulates it creates a number of serious problems.

Construction restricts proper airflow, which can lead to overheating and fires. You should regularly clean the outside surface of the exhaust vent. Also, check your dryer while it is running to make sure the exhaust is being effectively pushed out.

If you suspect a blockage, disconnect the exhaust vent and remove any residue, or contact the manufacturer or a qualified technician.

How often do you clean your dryer vent?

You should consider how often you use the dryer. If you only drive two to three loads a week, an annual inspection and cleaning is sufficient.

However, if you have a large household and operate up to five or more loads a day, it is advisable to clean the dryer every six months or be extra careful every three months to remove dust, dirt and lint and dirt will accumulate on.

Even if you have a small and narrow vent, you need to check and clean it regularly all year round. Why? The tiny holes create pressure in the dryer when air is forced out of the back.

If you wash tons of blankets, towels, and fleece clothes frequently, your dryer breather will load fairly quickly than if you wash normal clothes.

Are you a pet freak For the love of pets, you need to spend more time cleaning the dryer vent. Pets tend to throw their fur on our clothes and bedding. When washing, the lint tends to trap and clog the dryer vent much sooner than in a pet-free home.

With young children in the house, we often buy new clothes to keep up with their growing needs. New clothes are lint-free than used clothes that have been washed countless times.

What if you don’t clean your dryer vent?

In the dryer with frequent use, ventilation openings are formed on flammable fluff without a point of exit due to a blocked ventilation. A clogged vent can burn the heating element with leakage of dust, fibers, and debris in the vent.

More than 15,000 dryer fires affect homes in the United States, according to the national fire protection agency.

Failure to clean your dryer vents frequently will add drying times, which ultimately increases your monthly utility bills.

Insufficient airflow causes toxic carbon monoxide vapors to enter your home, which is fatal to you and your family’s health. Frequent cleaning of your dryer vent is a lifesaver.

Symptoms of a vent that needs cleaning

1. Clothes take too long to dry

If your clothes get damp or slightly wet after a regular drying cycle or take up to 3 cycles to dry a single load, it is most likely time to check them under the hood. There may be a buildup in your dryer that is affecting its optimal function. Clothes need both the right airflow and the heating element to dry.

2. Heat up the dryer

If the outside cabinet of your dryer feels like it is heated up and is hotter than usual, this is an indication that you need to check and clean it. Most likely, the vent is blocked and the element is heating the control area of ​​the dryer. Unplug from power source before inspection.

3. Funky smell

If the air circulation in the vent is disturbed, there is an unpleasant smell of hot, humid air in the hose and in the machine, which has nowhere to escape. Check for lint on the floor behind the dryer and check the access line around the filter or lint hose.

4. Excessive humidity

If the dryer does not ventilate effectively, moist air will build up in the room instead of increasing the humidity in the room. Buy a customized one Cleaning set for dryer ventilation to help clean your ventilation opening.

Bottom line

The quality of your dryer vents is too expensive to ignore. From shrunk clothing damaged by heat to massive electricity bills and a fire hazard, regular inspection, cleaning and maintenance of your dryer openings is more than ever an essential task to ensure that your dryer runs optimally and serves you for a lifetime.