Tumble dryers are incredibly convenient, and the average residential dryer gets used several times a week. It’s easy to forget that these time-saving appliances need maintenance. Emptying the lint trap helps keep air flowing out of the dryer, but regular professional dryer vent cleaning is important too, helping prevent dryer fires and keeping your dryer running efficiently.
7 Benefits of Cleaning Dryer Vents
Many people make the mistake of thinking the lint trap and the dryer vent are the same thing when they aren’t. The dryer vent is located at the rear of the dryer and is used to release hot air from the dryer to outside your property. Lint that gets past the lint trap can accumulate in that vent.
Professional dryer vent cleaning services help remove that lint, offering several potential benefits.
1. Save Energy
Tumble dryers use a lot of energy, but if you live in a property without a yard or somewhere that gets a lot of rain, you might not be able to air dry your clothing, so tumble drying is the only practical option. Choosing the most energy-efficient appliances you can afford is always a good investment, but to keep them running at peak efficiency, they need proper care and maintenance.
For your dryer to work at maximum efficiency, air must be able to flow freely. Clogged dryer vents make it difficult for hot air to be pushed out of the dryer. This puts extra strain on the blower motor and can trap moisture, making it take longer for clothing to dry. Cleaning your vents can reduce the overall running costs of your dryer.
2. Reduce the Likelihood of a Dryer Fire
Every year, there are thousands of fires caused by clothes washers or dryers. Some of those fires are caused by damaged wires or cables, but articles of clothing and lint are also major causes.
According to the National Fire Prevention Association, dust, fibers, or lint are the leading cause of home dryer fires. The more lint there is present in your dryer vent, the easier it is for a spark to ignite it and the more chance there is of a more serious fire.
3. Prolong the Life of Your Dryer
A clogged dryer vent makes your dryer work harder to expel air. The harder it’s working, the more wear and tear there’ll be on its moving parts. Being caught out with a broken dryer on a Sunday when you’re trying to get the last load of uniforms done for the week ahead is a major inconvenience. Fortunately, it’s one you can help prevent with proper maintenance.
Most households should have their dryer vents cleaned once a year. If you live in a large household or do an above-average amount of laundry, it may be a good idea to have your dryer vents cleaned twice a year to help prolong the lifespan of your dryer.
5. Protect Your Clothing
Tumble drying is hard on your clothes. Heat can cause slight (but cumulative) damage to the fibers in your clothes, and the tumbling action can cause wear and tear too. The longer your clothing is in the dryer, the worse the wear will be.
Anything you can do to keep your dryer running efficiently and minimize the amount of time your clothes spend tumbling around is a good thing, both for your energy bills and for your wardrobe.
6. Dry Clothes More Quickly
Modern families lead busy lifestyles. You’ve got clothes to clean for school, work, and the weekend, plus sports outfits for afternoon activities. Trying to keep on top of all of that isn’t easy. If you find yourself having to run your dryer back to back because drying cycles take longer than you expect, a clogged dryer vent could be the problem. Once air is venting out the rear of your dryer freely, you may find your clothes and bedding drying times are greatly reduced, giving you more flexibility in your laundry schedule.
7. Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
If your dryer vent has become very clogged, the air that should be getting vented to the outside world might make it into your home instead. That air is warm and damp and could be full of microfibers from your clothes. Venting that warm air from the dryer into your home makes the laundry room smell musty, and those particles aren’t things you want to be inhaling on a regular basis.
Cleaning your air vents helps maintain good indoor air quality in every room of your home. In addition, when your dryer is working at its best, you can feel confident your laundry will come out completely dry, reducing the risk of damp, musty-smelling sheets and clothing.
Choose Duct Doctor for Your Dryer Vent Cleaning Needs
Cleaning the lint trap regularly is the first step toward preventing lint buildup in your dryer. However, even with that preventative measure, each load of laundry you do will lead to a little lint potentially making it to the dryer vent. Cleaning your dryer vent at least once a year is essential to keep the appliance working properly.
At Duct Doctor, we offer professional dryer vent cleaning services. Our technicians are familiar with most modern dryer brands and perform thorough, attentive cleaning to keep your household dryer performing at its best. Call us today to book a dryer cleaning visit at your convenience.