Key Takeaways
Are your clothes shoot longer to dry than common ? Does it smell like something ’s burning in the laundry room ? Is the top of yourdryertoo hot to stir after you put in a load of laundry ? If you answered yes to any of these interrogative , it ’s time for a routine alimony on your drier vent . Warning signs like these are common indications of a dirty or clotted dryer vent that can potentially put your house at risk of exposure of afire .
Local flak departments across the United Statesresponded to nearly 14,000 fires involving dryersper year from 2014 - 2018 . And about one - third of the flak were due to clogged drier vents — full of lint , dust and fibre . conflate those choked vent with blistering melody and it ’s sluttish to see how fires get started .
That ’s whyRuss Dimmitt , director of educational activity at theChimney Safety Institute of America , a nonprofit educational institute that trains and certifies lamp chimney and dryer exhaust technicians , recommendsdryer outlet cleaningannually .
" If your clothes start taking longer to dry than they have been and more and more get longer and longer , that ’s suggestive that the vent is beginning to plug and you ’re losing airflow , " Dimmitt says . " Airflow is an important part of the dress drying right . "
When was the last sentence you cleaned your dryer ? If the result is " a while " or " never , " here ’s how to clean a dryer vent , according to Home DepotandFamily Handyman .
Tools and Supplies You’ll Need
Step 1. Disconnect Your Dryer
Step 2. Clean the Vent With a Brush Kit
Step 3. Vacuum the Vent
Step 4. Reconnect Your Dryer
Once you ’ve end cleaning the vent , it ’s clock time to put the dryer back together .
notice : Although you could clean your drier vent yourself , Dimmitt always recommend hiring a professional . " They know other things to look for , like proper installation , " he pronounce . Also , if the drier air out alfresco through your cap , you may not need to scale a run to clean it .
For visual prentice , here ’s an informativestep by step videoon how to clean the vent .
Tips on Keeping a Clean Dryer Vent
Now that your dryer vent is clean , it ’s meter to keep it that way . TheU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissionrecommends you do the following to reduce the amount of lint in your venthole .
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