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.

When’s the last time that you cleaned your dryer? When’s the last time that you had your dryer service or scheduled a professional dryer vent cleaning? If it hasn’t been recent, you should ensure that you get right on that. This is because dryer fires are a leading cause of house fires. In order to prevent a fire, it’s crucial that you stay on stop of dryer cleaning and maintenance.

Just How Common Are Dryer Fires?

The National Fire Protection Association reports that about 13,820 house fires per year had dryers involved in their ignition. This resulted in 7 deaths, 344 injuries, and $233 million in property damage each year. 32% of these fires were caused by a failure to clean (27% by lint that ignited), 27% by mechanical issues, and 16% by electrical issues. 

Cooking, candles, electrical systems, Christmas trees, smoking, and faulty appliances are all top causes of house fires. By staying on top of your dryer cleaning and maintenance, you can take preventative measures to avoid a dryer fire.

How Do Dryer Fires Start?

As mentioned above, dryer fires start by lint-buildup, mechanical issues, electrical issues, and more. Some of the most common causes of dryer fires include:

Lint-Buildup

You should clean your lint trap either before or after every load. When lint is allowed to build up, this results in restricted airflow. Not only does this affect how your dryer dries, but it also affects air circulation, which affects how the dryer can measure the temperature. As such, the heat can continually rise, which can lead to a fire igniting. 

Dryer Ducts

Plastic, flexible, and accordion-style ducts used to be acceptable, but no more. This is because of the role they play in starting fires. Lint can easily build up in any low points. Plastic can heat too hot. The best type of dryer duct is a rigid, metal one. If your house currently has plastic or accordion-style ducts, you’ll want to have them replaced.

Dirty Dryer Ducts

Just like you need to clean out your lint trap and your dryer, your dryer vents need cleaning too. This can be a complicated job. Fortunately, it’s not one that you need to worry about. You can hire a professional cleaning company to come out and take care of your annual dryer vent cleaning. This removes any blockages in the system, as well as any lint build-up there may be, so that your dryer functions optimally, and there’s lessened risk of dryer fires. 

Improper Use

This applies to anything outside of the guidelines, from overloading your dryer to drying the wrong types of materials to throwing something that had something flammable spilled on it into the dryer. Ensure that you adhere to the manufacturer’s guidelines and check the tags on all your clothes and towels and the like to see whether or not you can put them in the dryer. 

If you spilled something flammable on your clothes, you don’t want to put it in the dryer. This is incredibly dangerous and can cause dryer fires. Rather, you’ll want to dry them the old-fashioned way, by hanging them up outside.

Mechanical And Electrical Failures

Regular dryer maintenance can catch any issues like this. Such failures can be caused by damage to the dryer, faulty wiring, and more. It’s important to ensure that you have your dryer maintained on a regular basis. This way, if it needs any repairs, they can be seen to in a timely manner. This both keeps your dryer functioning optimally and helps to prevent dryer fires. 

How Can You Prevent Dryer Fires?

Fortunately, dryer fires can be prevented with some basic maintenance and proper installation. Some of the things that you can do in order to prevent dryer fires include:

• Cleaning your lint trap before or after every load
• Adhering to the manufacturer’s guidelines
• Adhering to your clothes’ washing/drying guidelines
• Replacing any plastic or accordion-style ducts
• Handling any chemical stains with care
• Cleaning your dryer vent annually
• Having your dryer maintained regularly
• Repairing and replacing your dryer as needing
• Ensuring that your dryer is properly installed

Do You Need Dryer Vent Cleaning?

TNT Cleaning can help you prevent dryer fires with our professional dryer vent cleaning services. Contact us today to schedule your service appointment and let us keep your home safer and cleaner.

Are you aware of the danger of clothes dryer fires? Very few people realize that there are an estimated 15,000 fires due to clothes dryers. Fortunately, fires can be prevented with proper dryer venting and cleaning.

How Clothes Dryer Fires Occur

Over time, dryer vents fill with lint, blocking the flow of air and causing excessive heat build-up, resulting in a fire in some cases. Lint is a highly combustible material. Lack of maintenance and cleaning, improper installation, crushed exhaust vent, and improper venting materials are all possible causes of dryer fires.

Signs Your Dryer is in Need of a Cleaning

Every homeowner you should be aware if your dryer is being blocked and in need of cleaning. The following are a few examples:

• Damp clothing after a normal dry cycle
• Smelly clothing after drying
• 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

Reduce the Risk of a Dryer Fire

At TNT Cleaning, we can help you reduce the risk of dryer fires by thoroughly cleaning the accumulated lint build up. Along with our vent cleaning, we can provide you with diagnostic testing, which tell you how much pressure is sent through a vent. Call us today to schedule a time for us to come out and clean your vents. Let’s work together to keep your home safe from dryer caused fires. 801.742.5577