Although most people know how crucial it is to clean out your lint trap after every load of laundry, not many understand the importance of having your dryer vent professionally cleaned. Worrying about the risks of a dirty dryer vent may seem irrational to most, but the reality is that clothes dryers are responsible for thousands of house fires each year. This is because the accumulation of lint and debris in the vent can obstruct airflow and cause dryers to overheat.
At Duct Duster, we believe that dryer cleaning and maintenance is essential to ensure the safety of your home, reduce your energy costs, and increase your equipment’s lifespan. With regular professional dryer vent cleaning, you can reduce the risk of fire as well as improve the efficiency of your dryer. This will result in faster drying times, lower energy bills, and a dryer that you can rely upon to work for years to come. This article will guide you through the steps to cleaning your dryer vent, ensuring that your laundry routine is both safe and efficient.
Benefits of Professional Dryer Vent Cleaning
Being a local dryer vent company in Georgia, we believe that taking preventative steps when it comes to your dryer can ensure the safety of your home. Without question, having your dryer vents cleaned by a professional can have a lasting impact on your dryer’s performance and safety.
The following are a few benefits of regular dryer vent cleaning and maintenance.
1. It Prevents Fires
Obviously, dryers produce a lot of heat. The problem is, if your dryer vents are backed up, dirty, or full of debris, heat can reach the wrong place and cause a fire. Lint is a highly flammable material, after all. The more lint you have in your dryer vents, the greater the chance of it catching fire. Regular dryer vent cleaning, either on your own or with professional help, can prevent this altogether.
2. It Increases Dryer Efficiency
Dryer vent cleaning can increase your dryer’s efficiency. The reason for this is because blockages have been removed. Dryers need to be able to release heat safely, after all, and they won’t be able to do this efficiently if there is a blockage. In other words, a blockage will force your dryer to work harder and use more energy.
3. It Increases Dryer Lifespan
If your dryer vent is dirty or clogged, it will work harder to achieve the same drying results. In other words, you’ll essentially have to spend more time, energy, and effort to drying your clothes. It goes without saying that all this added strain on your dryer adds up over time, decreasing its lifespan.
Steps to Clean a Dryer Vent
The benefits of a clean dryer vent go beyond maximizing the utility of your dryer to keeping your home and family safe.
One thing to remember is that it’s still a good idea to have your dryer professionally inspected once a year, or every six months if it gets heavy use, even if it’s working without issues.
1. First, Prepare What You Need
If you plan on cleaning your dryer vent, you’ll need a few things, including:
- Vacuum cleaner: A vacuum cleaner, preferably with a long hose attachment, will make removing lint and debris stuck inside your vent much easier.
- Vent brush: Having a vent brush on hand will make your work easier, too. It has a long, flexible hand that is especially designed for cleaning dryer vents.
- Drop cloth or old towel: Make sure you have a big enough cloth or old towel on hand to put beneath the vent to help catch any loosened lint or dirt.
- Gloves: It will also be a good idea to wear gloves during the process to protect against wounding your hands from any rough or sharp edges in your vents.
2. Unplug The Dryer
The first thing you need to do is cut power to the dryer. Remember: you should never attempt to clean your dryer while it’s running or plugged in. If you have a heavy dryer that needs to be pulled out for you to get to the power chord, ask help from a friend or a family member.
3. Inspect and Clean Lint Trap
Before minding the vents, check the lint trap for any buildup. This part of your dryer can typically be found against the door or on top of the dryer itself. Cleaning the lint trap will prevent lint buildup and ensure dryer efficiency.
4. Disconnect Vent Hose
Once the dryer is unplugged and the lint trap is thoroughly cleaned, you can start detaching the vent hose from the dryer. You will need a screwdriver or some such to loosen the clamp that holds the hose to the dryer. Once it’s loose and ready to pull out, do so carefully to ensure nothing gets damaged.
5. Clean Vent Hose and Ductwork
Once the vent hose is detached, take your dryer vent brush and push it into the hose, gently moving back and forth to remove any lint, dirt or debris. You may also want to eyeball the vent hose, inside and out, for any signs of damage — if you see any, consider having it replaced.
Next, using the same vent brush, clean the ductwork that’s attached to the wall, making sure to push the brush as far back as possible to cover a wider area. If it’s too dark inside the ducts, use a flashlight to check whether any lint or debris remain.
6. Reassemble and Test
After you’ve cleaned the lint trap, vent hose and ductwork, put everything back together again and test for any other issues. Run a short drying cycle and check if the dryer is functioning properly. Needless to say, if problems persist, there may be an underlying issue that requires professional dryer service.
Conclusion
Cleaning your dryer vent regularly is important for maintaining its efficiency and the safety of your home. Following the steps we’ve outlined above will ensure that your dryer vents are cleaned. Industry experts recommend that homeowners have their dryer checked by a professional once a year, or every six months if it’s getting heavy use.
Of course, we understand that dryer vent cleaning is a cumbersome task, so if you’d rather avoid the trouble of cleaning your vents, then call us instead — we’ll come over and do it for you! Although most people know how crucial it is to clean out your lint trap after every load of laundry, not many understand the importance of having your dryer vent professionally cleaned. Worrying about the risks of a dirty dryer vent may seem irrational to most, but the reality is that clothes dryers are responsible for thousands of house fires each year. This is because the accumulation of lint and debris in the vent can obstruct airflow and cause dryers to overheat.