Your clothes dryer is one of the most important appliances in your home. It’s a major inconvenience when it breaks down and you have to hang your clothes all over the house. One way to keep your dryer running smoothly is to clean out your dryer vent at least once a year. At Kimball Appliance Parts and Service, we provide dryer repair and maintenance to customers in in Salt Lake City, Denver and Kansas City.
Prevent Dryer Fires
The Federal Department of Emergency Management reports that more than 2,900 dryers catch fire every year, causing five deaths, over 100 injuries and $35 million in damages. The reason for most of these fires is lint buildup.
You are likely aware that your dryer has a lint screen that you should clean after each load. The lint screen performs an important function, trapping much of the lint that your laundry sheds as it is tumbled dry. However, it doesn’t trap all the lint.
Some of the lint makes its way past the lint screen and lodges in the grooves of your dryer vent. Because the air is warm and moist, it is easy for the grooves in an aluminum dryer vent to trap the lint. The new PVC dryer vents pose less of a problem this way, but they still need regular cleaning.
Signs Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning
The technicians at Kimball Appliance Parts and Service recommend once or twice-yearly dryer vent cleaning, depending on how much laundry you do. If you notice any of these signs, your dryer vent could be past due for a cleaning:
- Laundry takes longer to dry
- Burning smell
- Laundry and dryer are hot to the touch
It’s so easy for the tiniest spark to ignite built-up lint, and a fire can spread quickly, putting your appliance, your home and your very life in danger.
How to Clean Your Dryer Vent
First, unplug your dryer. It’s good to have a vacuum on hand at this time. Next, remove the dryer vent from the back of your dryer. If you have a gas dryer, be careful not to dislodge the gas line as you do this. To get the grooves in the dryer vent really clean, you’ll want to have on hand a special brush for this purpose, or a dryer vent cleaning kit. Once you get all the lint out of the vent, reattach it and you’re good for another six to 12 months.
If you love DIY projects, this is a good one for homeowners, but if you don’t want to spend a weekend afternoon wrestling with dryer lint, call Kimball Appliance Parts and Service. We’ll clean your dryer vent as part of a washer-dryer maintenance visit. And if you waited too long and your dryer broke down, don’t worry — you can count on us for dryer repair.
For all your appliance repair needs in Salt Lake City, Kansas City and Denver, depend on Kimball Appliance Parts and Service.