Dryer Maintenance Is a Must

About 80% of the nation has washers and dryers in their home, so care for these machines are/should be a chore added to your cleaning routine. The dryer, specifically, can become a hazard if not cared for properly, and can also be damaged by negligence. Here are a few tips on maintaining dryer efficiency and avoiding common hazardous conditions.

1) Clean the lint trap. This tip is an easy one, but is unfortunately not completed by a lot of dryer users due to lack of knowledge, forgetfulness, or disregard. By cleaning the lint trap, you allow the air to flow in the dryer to apply proper heat during the drying cycle. By skipping this step, you run the risk of having to run the dryer longer to get the close dry and/or causing a potential fire hazard if the lint gets heated enough.

2) Make sure the vent tubing duct is clear of debris. A clogged vent duct can lead to multiple dryer cycles to dry clothes and can cause a fire hazard. It’s important to not have kinks in the tubing because it allows a place for lint to gather and form clogging. Check for any holes; holes cause air pollutants and also can release poisonous carbon monoxide from gas dryers.

3) Clean Outside dryer duct vents. When the vent that leads the dryer exhaust outside of your home is clogged, it will decrease the effectiveness of your dryer and also cause a fire hazard. This should be cleaned at least once a year depending on the frequency of use.

This is only a few of the things you can do to extend the life of your dryer and decrease the chance of causing hazards in your home. You can also use certain solutions to clean the inside of the dryer drum to eliminate smells and de-clog the drum holes, clean behind the lint trap to get escaped lint (you can use a lint brush), which can eventually build up, vacuum around the dryer, and also make sure the outside vent cover doesn’t have excess debris, among other things.

Servicing your dryer once a year will help in more ways than one, which is why Smiling Faces has added dryer vent cleaning to their list of services. Please reach out if you’re in need.