A dryer is an appliance that has significantly improved society. People can dry clothes much quicker than line drying and this allows people to wash clothes more frequently. Clean clothes are not only socially acceptable and important, but contribute to good hygiene. Good hygiene increases overall health. Since the dryer is so important in the lives of people, it should be cared for properly. This means a dryer vent should be cleaned regularly.
A dryer vent needs to be cleaned regularly for two reasons. One reason is that a dirty dryer vent can cause a fire. The second reason is to increased efficiency. Both are very important because they can impact families very much.
Fires caused by dirty dryer vents are much more common than many people know. The vent in a dryer, if not cleaned properly, can cause a buildup of lint. Many things can impact how much lint is caught inside a dryer hose. The hose runs from the back of the dryer to an outside vent, normally on the roof of the house. The longer this hose is the more places lint can get trapped. Although dryers have lint traps, not all traps catch every speck of lint. Additionally, the more bends and turns a hose has to make increases the possibility of trapped lint.
Trapped lint inside dryer vent hoses is very flammable. This lint is a major fire hazard and can cause devastation to a familys home. For this reason, the dryer vent should be cleaned out regularly. It is suggested to have the dryer vent cleaned about 1 to 2 times a year.
Dryer efficiency is also greatly reduced with
dryer vents that are filled with trapped lint. The dryer must work much harder to dry clothes when the hose is filled with lint. A clean dryer hose allows more air flow to the outside of the home. When this exhaust from the dryer can flow freely, the dryer can work more effectively. A dryer vent hose that is stopped up with lint can cause a dryer to not dry the clothes instead. It may take several drying cycles to dry a regular sized load of laundry.
To prevent damage to a home by fire and to increase drying efficiency, it is important to have a dryer vent hose cleaned on a regular basis. Many companies offer this service or at home kits may be purchased as well.
