In our previous blog, How Often Do You Need Dryer Vent Cleaning?, we talked about when you need to clean your dryer vents in general. We discussed the importance of maintaining a clean dryer vent in order to ensure that your dryer functions as it should, what your dryer vent does, and various factors that impact the frequency of dryer vent cleaning. Click on over there to learn more about those factors.
In this blog, we’ll talk about the role of dryer vent cleaning in regards to preventing fires, specifically. While the previous blog focused more on dryer vent cleaning for improved functionality, here, we’ll discuss how crucial it is in order to prevent fires.
How Common Are Dryer Vent Fires?
Dryer vent fires are among the leading causes of house fires, along with cooking, candles, Christmas trees, electrical systems, and more. Approximately 13,820 house fires annually involve dryers. The leading cause of dryer fires is a failure to keep them clean.
Click on over to our previous blog, Why Are Dryer Fires So Common?, to learn more about this.
How Often Should You Clean Your Dryer Vents To Prevent Fires?
You should schedule a professional dryer vent cleaning at least once a year in order to prevent fires. Bear in mind that how often you should clean your dryer vent in order to prevent fires may be more frequently than this, depending on how often you use your dryer, whether or not you have pets, if you commonly do bulky loads, and the like.
Bear in mind that this is just referring to a professional dryer vent cleaning. You should clean your dryer’s lint trap after each load, or at least check it to see if it needs to be cleaned after each load. You should also clean the vent duct behind your dryer every three months or so, as well as ensure that you’re vacuuming up any lint or other such debris around your dryer as needed.
Some ways you can keep your dryer vent clean include:
- Using liquid softener instead of dryer sheets
- Having a solid vent pipe instead of a flexible one
- Keeping the dryer close to an external wall
- Not leaving the dryer running when you leave the house
How Do Dryer Vents Cause Fires?
Many people don’t even know that their dryer is a significant fire risk. They don’t even realize that they should be cleaning their dryer vents, let alone on a regular basis. Many people don’t even clean their lint traps regularly. If you never learned about the risk of dryer vent fires and the important steps you need to take in order to prevent them, then of course you wouldn’t know how dryer vents cause fires.
Fortunately, we’re here to equip you with the knowledge that you need to keep yourself safe, keep your appliances running properly, and to prevent fires.
Lint is the leading culprit behind dryer vent fires. Lint is highly combustible. Over time, its buildup blocks airflow in your dryer, which ergo causes excessive heat buildup. This leads to fire.
Plus, when lint gets trapped in your dryer’s ductwork, this makes it harder for your dryer to do its job. Needing to run dryer more both costs you more in money and time and isn’t good for the environment.
As such, you don’t just want to clean the lint trap, but also where it goes, the dryer vent opening, behind the dryer, the drum, and more. If you have any specific questions about dryer vent cleaning and what you can do to prevent fires, don’t hesitate to ask your appliance repair person.
How Can You Tell If You Need To Clean Your Dryer Vent?
You can tell if you need to clean your dryer vent if you notice:
- Damp clothing after a normal dry cycle
- Smelly clothing after drying
- Burning smell on clothes
- Articles of clothing are strangely hot to touch after drying cycle
- Unopened dyer vent hood flap during drying cycle
- Drying time is longer than 35-40 minutes
- Excessive amount of lint gathered in the lint trap during a dryer cycle
- Laundry room gets very warm when you use your dryer
You may need to clean your dryer vent more often if you have a large family, you have pets, you often buy new clothes as these product more lint, or you frequently do bulky loads.
Other Benefits Of Routine Dryer Vent Cleaning
In addition to preventing fires, cleaning saves energy, reduces maintenance, and helps your dryer last longer by improving efficiency.
TNT Cleaning Company is here to help you keep your home safe and clean. Contact us today for more information about our professional dryer vent cleaning services.