Keeping a clean home extends beyond your rooms and floors. There are key areas that are oftentimes overlooked, such as behind the fridge and stove. Another area that is commonly overlooked is your dryer’s vent. Like any vent, dust accumulates, which can lead to all sorts of problems down the road. Dryer vent cleaning is essential if you want to maintain your machine and safeguard your home.
Why Dryer Vent Cleaning is Important
Out of sight, out of mind – this is the way many homeowners think when cleaning their houses. But this type of thinking could potentially endanger you and your household. When your dryer vents become clogged, it can lead to a variety of issues, some dangerous and others not so much. For one, it becomes a fire hazard. According to the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Fire Data Center, there are around 15,600 structure fires started by clothes dryers.
How to Know When It’s Time to Clean Your Dryer Vent
There are a number of signs you can watch for to see when your dryer needs vent cleaning. Here are a few:
- Your clothes don’t completely dry after a normal cycle
- There’s a foul odor like must after you remove your clothes
- It’s been over a year since you’ve cleaned the vents
- Your clothes are unusually hot after a complete cycle
- The room the dryer’s in heats up excessively when on
How to Clean Your Vents Properly
You can hire professional industrial cleaning services to have your dryer vents cleaned, however, you can also attempt to do this on your own. If you do, make sure the dryer is unplugged beforehand. You will need a screwdriver or nut driver to loosen the vent clamp found behind your dryer.
Next, pull out the vent and begin cleaning out the lint and debris from inside the hole in your dryer. You can use a vacuum cleaner to clean out the rest. Look through both ends of the vent to see if you got out all the build up. A plumbing snake can be used if you find blockage near the middle of the vent.
Once you’re done, you can put the vent back into the hole in the wall and the back of your dryer, then screw back on the vent clamp. Make sure to clean out the vent found in the exterior of your home. A vacuum can be used for this as well.
If you need dryer vent cleaning, you should schedule for professionals to come and do it for you.
