Not a great deal of attention is placed on the clothes dryer in the home, other than opening the door, tossing the wet laundry into its drum, cleaning the lint filter, then closing the door and turning the dryer on. We expect it to work each and every time to dry the wet clothing. However, without proper care and routine maintenance, the dryer can be a threat to your family and the safety of your home.

Over time, lint will bypass the filter and collect inside the dryer’s exhaust duct. Left unchecked, this can pose a serious fire risk in your laundry area. While cleaning your dryer vents seems like a simple job, you’ll quickly find out that without the right tools, things can get a bit tricky. BetterVenting encourages you to follow these helpful steps to give your dryer’s exhaust system the annual recommended cleanout it needs. You'll pick up a tip or two at https://www.betterventing.com/blog/clogged-vents-and-duct-cleaning.

What is lint?

Lint is comprised of tiny fibers derived from interwoven threads that make up the fabric itself. Each time you wear a piece of clothing, minuscule pieces of fiber break off and become loose, but through the force of static electricity (and for numerous other reasons), they stick to the outside of the garment. When you use your dryer, the moisture removes the loose fibers from your clothing, which are then deposited within your dryer and its vent. This lint builds up within the dryer and dryer vent over time, requiring maintenance and cleaning to eliminate it.

Why is lint dangerous?

The biggest issue with lint is that it restricts the airflow of your dryer, which in turn causes a buildup of hot air. Both situations not only hinder the dryer’s efficiency and performance, but create the ideal environment for a fire hazard. Lint is extremely dry and a small spark can ignite a fire.

Dryer-associated home fires have been documented by the National Fire Protection Association, where it states that in years past, there were an average of 15,970 home structure fires involving washing machines or clothes dryers. Of these, 92% were strictly clothes dryers, with the leading cause being dust, fibers or lint.

BetterVenting cannot emphasize enough how important it is to clean your dryer’s exhaust system annually.

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