The Important Role Dryer Duct Cleaning Plays In Fire Prevention
If you’re like most people, you clean out the lint trap on your clothes dryer after every time you use it. The purpose of the lint trap is to stop lint particles from getting into the vent and causing more problems there. However, you can probably imagine that with weekly loads of laundry, no lint trap is perfect—over time, it’s a virtual certainty that a certain quantity of lint will end up the vent of your dryer. It’s really important that this vent get cleaned out on a regular basis, for a few reasons:
It Can Prevent Fires
That’s right, something as insignificant as your dryer vent can actually start a fire and damage your home. It’s the most important reason to have your dryer vent cleaned out on a regular basis. According to data from the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Data Center, almost 15,000 structural fires take place each year because of a clothes dryer, and of these clogged dryer vents account for 80% of the fires.
It Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
If you have a gas-heated dryer like most of us, the combustion gasses from the burning of the gas leave via the dryer vent. If your vent is clogged, these gasses can no longer escape and can find other paths into your laundry room or the rest of your home.
It Can Negatively Impact the Operation of Your Dryer
For one, if moisture from your clothes can’t escape as it’s supposed to, it’s going to take much longer for your clothes to get dry. This also means longer drying cycles and more electricity (and more frustration to boot). But, because the dryer also has to work harder to push the air out, you’re also causing more wear and tear on the machine itself and that can mean you’ll have to replace your dryer sooner than if you regularly clean your vents.
How often should you dryer vent be cleaned? The answer varies by household. The bare minimum should be once a year, but depending on the frequency of doing laundry and the length of your dryer vent.
If it has been a while since you’ve gotten your dryer vent cleaned, let’s take care of that soon for your safety and your peace of mind. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!