We all understand the importance of maintaining equipment. We change the oil in our cars, we clean our gutters, or even just replace a filter.
But we’re probably overlooking the need to clean the dryer vent by anything more than just the small lint trap itself. If you’re doing laundry regularly, have pets, or have a large family the internal duct work of your dryer and vent work through your home is accumulating lint and debris over time. In fact, up to 40% of laundry lint ends up past your first lint screen. The more often the load or the larger the load the faster and greater the build-up. Why would that be a problem? Like any system that needs “flow” whether water or air any type of restriction will create resistance and loss of efficiency.
For a dryer that could be as simple as longer drying cycles or in some case barely able to dry clothing at all. But if left unchecked loss of air flow for your dryer vent can mean wear and tear on the dryer reducing its potential life cycle leading to costly replacement. It could mean increased electricity bills and more money out of your pocket month after month. Or the worst case a potential fire hazard.
The 2017 NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) Fact Sheet study from 2010-2014 of 15970 home fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines shows that the leading cause of those fires (27%) was by dust, fiber, or lint. Please consider yearly maintenance of your dryer vent to be just one of the many solutions for a healthy home.
