dryer vent cleaning plugged vent hood screen

Cleaning Your Dryer Vent Is Important

Cleaning Your Dryer Vent is Important

The vent for your dryer – that tube that goes from your dryer to the outside of your house – is not a thing that we think of cleaning very often. We clean out the dryer lint filter every load, but lint can also build up in the pipe to the outside, and even inside the dryer itself. There are many reasons why this is unsafe.

Risk of Fire

Lint is flammable, dryers run hot, clogged dryers even more so – the buildup could cause a fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are 2,900 dryer fires each year, causing 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and 35 million dollars worth of damage. Over a third of those are caused by dirty vents.

Decreased Efficiency

A clog in the dryer vent line can cause your dryer to be less efficient, requiring more time or even more than one cycle to dry clothes. Also, increased cycles and longer cycles cost more money in energy and in wear on the dryer and on the clothing.

Wear to Clothing

Clogged dryers may run hotter, causing more wear and strain on the fabric. Your clothes could wear out faster.

Longer Dryer Life

A dryer that has to work harder to dry clothes, and that runs hotter and longer, wears out faster. Keeping your vents cleaned out increases dryer life.

Mold

Dryers run with a lot of humidity at times. Clogged vents can have difficulty blowing all that moisture outside, and can even hold wet spots and puddles inside. Lint can soak up the humidity and get moldy. Soaked lint also compacts and sticks, and makes the clog worse and more difficult to clear.

It is important to make sure that not only your lint filter but also your dryer vent are clean and clear. As vents often have bends and wrinkles and connections that may not be clear, consider having them professionally cleaned at least once a year.

Alpine Specialty Cleaning specializes in dryer vent cleaning. Please click here: dryer vent cleaning for more information and a free estimate!