Gone are the days of air drying your clothing on a regular basis. These days, we opt for the more convenient option of throwing clothes in the dryer to finish our laundry duties, especially in North America where it’s cold most of the time.
While the understanding of how to use a clothes dryer is relatively universal, the importance of cleaning the dryer vent regularly is less than common knowledge. Regardless of how well and often you clean the lint trap on your dryer, annual cleaning of your dryer vent is required to keep your home safe, and your dryer working well.
The Lint Trap
Regardless of how advanced your dryer might be, the lint trap will only ever catch a portion of the lint created during your drying cycle. The rest will travel through the lint trap and end up in the vent that connects your dryer to the outside of your home to expel exhaust. Over time, this collects and starts to coat the walls of your dryer vent, sometimes causing it to eventually plug completely.
The Effects of a Dirty Dryer Vent
Boy Scouts & Girl Guides everywhere can confirm that dryer lint is a highly flammable material that is a great fire starter. Because your dryer is constantly warming up, this creates a perfect environment for fires to start in the home. This can be a dangerous situation for you and your family if not taken seriously and cleaned regularly.
Aside from the fire risk, a dirty or plugged dryer vent can also impact the performance of your dryer. Dirty dryer vents can cause laundry loads to take longer or require multiple cycles to dry. A good way to note if your dryer vent needs attention is if your clothes are coming out of the dryer hotter than normal, as a plugged dryer vent will trap more hot exhaust air in the unit.
In Summary…
We recommend cleaning your dryer vent annually to avoid dryer unit breakdowns and to keep your home healthy and safe.