09/13/2021
Why should you have your dryer vent professionally cleaned?
Did you know that a dirty dryer vent (see photo) is a fire hazard and it also costs you more money to dry your clothes when your dryer vent is dirty? It's a fact. This article explains the basics.
If you aren't having your dryer vent professionally cleaned once a year, then you are telling the Universe that you like to waste money and that fires don't scare you. If that's you - stay away from me lol. I'm trying to make this humorous, but it isn't that "funny of a subject." People get hurt every year by fires caused by overheating dryers. It's not cool.
Having your dryer vent professionally cleaned at least once a year is recommended by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (visit their website for the stats), and it's a smart thing to do.
Here's how disaster occurs:
1. Your dryer vent becomes dirty or clogged with lint (which happens over time) and now your dryer can’t expel moist air efficiently (it can’t breathe).
2. One day, you turn the dryer on and it starts doing what it knows how to do - heat the wet air.
3. The dryer's fan is supposed to draw that hot air and expel it from your home via the vent.
4. If the dryer's vent is dirty or clogged, there's a serious concern. The moist, hot air that is supposed to be expelled can't go anywhere (or doesn't get expelled fast enough)
5. The dryer then begins to get hotter and hotter.
6. This not only makes your dryer more prone to overheating and causing a fire, but it will also cost you a small fortune every single year because it takes longer to dryer your clothes.
The SCARY PART:
Dryer lint is extremely flammable (did you know that?) Survivalists recommend bringing some lint with you when you go camping. It makes the most incredible fire starter! It stinks (I've done it) but it works. Lint ignites like a champion!
Try it yourself. Post a video of yourself using dryer lint to light a fire and be sure to share it with us so we can post it on our page! Fun! Hopefully, you've had your dryer vent cleaned already and you aren't sending us a video of your house in flames. We don't want to see that, which is why we do what we do (Klean Vents)
The Money Part:
Your dryer happens to be an energy beast (it's plugged into a 220v power source and it loves power). Your clothes will dryer quicker when you have your dryer vent professionally cleaned. The better your dryer can expel the moist air (without being slowed down or blocked by lint) the faster your clothes will dry!
See our post on Sensor Dry to learn more about this feature and how to keep the sensors clean - which you need to do periodically.
RECAP:
A clean dryer vent won’t just keep you safe by preventing one of the leading causes of house fires, it will also save you money! What’s not to love about that?
