Most of us do not realize how valuable our dryer is until one day it stops working and we are left with a pile of wet soggy clothes. This means not only a disturbance in daily routine, but also mental exhaustion and expensive repair. However, by cleaning the dryer vent, you can avoid such unfortunate circumstances.
That’s not all; a dirty dryer vent can also be hazardous. Around 27% of the houses that faced serious fires from 2010 to 2014 were due to dirty, dusty dryers. According to a UFSA report, 34% of the fires from more than 2900 dryer fires yearly could be avoided by cleaning out the lint in the dryers.
So do yourself a favor and instead of waiting for something to break down, avoid such disasters by checking and cleaning your dryer vent every now and then. The question is, how often should you go for dryer vent cleaning? Keep on reading to know everything on the matter.
How Often Should You Clean The Dryer Vent?
Experts suggest a yearly cleaning for improved efficiency, but how often to clean the dryer vent depends on certain factors. Such as:
-
- Family Size: It matters because the more clothes you wash, the more debris is likely to accumulate in the vents.
- Laundry Types: If you are washing towels, woolen clothes, fluffy blankets, etc., the clogs are more likely to be filled with lint quickly.
- Pets in the House: The pet hair and furs also clog the filters easily.
- Washing old clothes: New clothes cause more lint than older ones.
Depending on your particular situation, it is recommended to clean the dryer vent every year or when you see that your dryer is not performing at its best.
Reasons To Clean The Vent
When we put clothes in the dryer, the machine rotates its drum at high speeds to dry the moisture in the clothes, releasing heat in the process. This heat is removed using a vent pipe that connects the back of the dryer to the wall duct.
This vent pipe also known as the duct is a flexible 4 inch in diameter silver aluminum pipe that moves the air outside. The particles and tiny fibers from the clothes sometimes get accumulated in the dryer vent ducts as the filters cannot trap all of them, resulting in a dirty dryer vent. Here’s why you need the dryer vent cleaning:
-
- Hazardous Fires
The over-clogged pipes with lint can overheat your dryer. When the machine has to function over its capacity, it can break down with sparks, causing hazardous fires. These fires spread instantly as fibers in lint are highly flammable and would engulf your whole house through the vents in minutes.
-
- To Improve Dryer Efficiency
Clogged vents are never able to provide an efficient job and you will have to dry your clothes twice or even three times, in the worst cases. This will only increase your utility bills and will also affect your dryer’s efficiency in the long run.
Our Recommendations to Avoid Risk of Fire
Remove the lint from the trap filter at least every 2 cycles and clean the dryer vent at least once a year in order to eliminate all the dirt, lint, and visible debris from around your machine, inside the dryer vent and the vent duct to avoid the hazard of starting a fire.
Dryer vent cleaning at regular intervals will save you from significant expenses and severe breakdowns. Cleaning it will allow prompt drying, lower energy bills, and the long life of a dryer as well.