If you are part of a family that is regularly using the clothes dryer, you may wonder how much maintenance is enough to make sure it's running efficiently and safely.
Constant Maintenance
Cleaning the lint trap - This is a part of the maintenance that you should make sure you are doing on a regular basis. The lint trap should really be cleaned before every use of your dryer. While you may not think a lot of lint is coming off of your clothes, any lint that is left in the trap from the load before will decrease the efficiency of the dryer. Additionally, that lint can start to sneak around the edges of the lint trap and get clogged up in other parts of the dryer, also becoming a higher fire risk.
Periodic Maintenance
When it comes to the lint trap, you should periodically go beyond just pulling the lint off of the trap screen. From time to time, use your vacuum nozzle attachment or a shop vac to try and suck out any other lint that is in the chute where the lint trap rests.
Outside the lint trap, there is plenty of lint that will sneak around in your dryer and the vent line, no matter how good you are at cleaning it up. For this you should schedule at least an annual inspection and clean out of the line by a professional. But, if you use the dryer a lot, you may want to do a little more maintenance than just a once a year cleaning. You can do it yourself midway between professional cleanings.
You will need to purchase a dryer vent cleaning brush. This is a brush that has a very long, hose-like handle that can be pushed through the line leading from your dryer to the vent to clean out any build up.
The best way to go about this job is to disconnect the chute from the back of your dryer then go outside your home to where the dryer vent is situated. Remove the flapper (top panel) from the vent and then feed the brush into the system. Take your time, and slowly move it through the pipe and pull it back out. You will want to do this a few times to make sure you break free much of the built up lint in the line.
Once you have completed the cleaning portion of the job, make sure to securely reconnect the flapper to the outside and the vent duct back to the dryer inside the house.
This article was written by Rick Gutridge, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Ohio. http://www.cleanmyvent.com specializes in dryer vent cleaning and maintenance. Their technicians will advise as to how often professional service is needed based on family size and how many loads per week you are doing. Rick's company is happy to provide all the information customers need to be aware of dryer fire safety and dryer vent maintenance.
Contact:
Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Ohio
Rick Gutridge
12295 Raintree Ave
Pickerington, OH 43147
Phone: 614-595-0086
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