The Importance of Dryer Vent Maintenance
Even in households that use their dryer several times a week, it can be easy to forget about your dryer vent. Though cleaning your dryer vent may not be the first chore that comes to mind when performing standard maintenance on your home, it’s beneficial in more ways than one to have it inspected and cleaned regularly by a professional. When you regularly clean your dryer vent, it not only improves your dryer’s efficiency, but it improves the efficiency – and safety – of your whole home.
Dryer Efficiency
A clean dryer vent allows the dryer to work at maximum efficiency, meaning that the run time required to dry your clothes will decrease. This puts less wear and tear on your dryer and your clothes, increasing their lifespans. And with shorter drying cycles required, your home will use less energy, and see a lower energy bill every month.
Home Safety
In addition to a more efficient dryer, regularly cleaning your dryer vent improves the overall safety of your home. Many fires in the home originate in the laundry room, and a clogged dryer vent is one of the most common causes of dryer fires. The lint that gets caught in dryer vents is highly flammable, and the more that builds up, the greater the risk of a fire. Ensuring that your dryer vent is clean decreases the risk that a fire will start.
In addition to minimizing the risk of fire, a clean dryer vent can also improve your home’s air quality. When a dryer vent goes uncleaned for too long, it can get so clogged that the fumes that are supposed to flow through it don’t have a clear path through, creating a backup of potentially harmful fumes, including carbon monoxide in your home.
Dryer vent cleaning is a task that many people can do themselves**, and to ensure that your vent stays as clean as possible, this should be done at least twice per year. But with the impact that a neglected dryer vent can have on your home and your safety, getting your dryer vent professionally inspected and cleaned every year will ensure that your dryer has a longer lifespan, and your house stays safe from fires and harmful fumes.
** Note: If you are going to do this task yourself, it is best to take the time to learn how to do it safely and effectively, without causing damage.