When’s the last time you cleaned your dryer vent? I’m going to wager that it’s been awhile – A year? 5 years? Never?
When you purchase a clothing dryer, you identify several things (like where’s the lint trap, and what’s that setting that keeps my jeans from becoming floods?), but salespeople and appliance installation experts rarely go on to emphasize the importance of cleaning the vents. With a dryer vent cleaning system, this is totally in the realm of DIY.
A clean dryer vent is critical, as it reduces the risk of fire. We all know to remove the lint from the trap after every load, but similarly, when a dryer vent begins to line with lint, that lint builds upon itself very quickly, narrowing or closing the air path from the appliance to the exterior. A clear vent not only reduces fire risks, but it increases the lifespan of your dryer and also contributes to faster dry time and therefore lower energy bills.
If it’s been a long while since you paid attention to your dryer vent, you might want to start by looking at the material itself. Thin foil and plastic vents are flimsy, more likely to tear, and more likely to fill with lint in their ridges and bends. Rigid vents (heavy-weight metal and straight) and semi-rigid vents (heavy-weight but flexible) are highly recommended (and mandated by code in some areas), but they still require routine cleaning.
It’s easy to clean your dryer vents yourself, so go ahead, put it on your calendar twice a year. Buy an all-in-one kit that includes the tools you need to get the job done (it costs about $30) and you’ll have it for the rest of your life. Align scheduled cleanings with the solstices when you also change your smoke alarm batteries, and make a habit of maintaining your appliances.
Ready to learn how it’s done? Learn how to clean your dryer vent with the below tutorial.
- Time: 30 minutes
- Cost: $30
- Tools: 4
- Materials: 1
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