Clothes Dryer Safety

Clothes dryers have replaced clotheslines as the primary method of drying our clothes. The convenience of saving the energy necessary to hang clothing, as well as the time it took to hang, collect and put away each article of clothing is substantial. Also, dryers don’t leave clothes feeling stiff or fade them from the sun. But using a dryer requires some maintenance to keep it safe and trouble-free. Today, we’re going to talk about dryer safety.

This homeowner put off cleaning the dryer duct because it was inconvenient to reach.

Energy

Using a dryer is not without cost. Dryers are vast consumers of energy, and, as a heat appliance, they require a certain amount of care to maintain. Most of the safety practices for owning a dryer involve keeping the dryer components and surrounding area clean so a fire can’t start.

Lint

Lint, a byproduct of a typical clothes dryer, is a highly flammable material. Many time, dryer fires start as the result of an accumulation of dryer lint built up in the dryer vent. Dryer vents are notorious places for lint build-up and are prone to neglect by busy people who are already a bit out of sorts from having to do their laundry. The white plastic vent hose is now illegal. If you have this type of vent hose, call us, and we will come to replace it immediately.

Cleaning the lint trap

Fortunately, most lint traps are very well made and collect about 95% or more of the lint as it passes through the dryer vent system. But, what this honestly means is that the other 5% has an opportunity to collect between the dryer vent and the dryer flap. So, in addition to cleaning the lint trap after every use, the dryer vent also needs to be regularly cleaned, from between every six months or at least once a year.

A homeowner can periodically remove the lint trap and scrub the screen with a small brush and some dish soap to rid the screen on the accumulation of an invisible coating created by dryer sheets. Rinse the lint trap and allow it to dry completely before returning it to its spot in the dryer.

One way to ease dryer lint buildup in the duct is to make it a practice to empty the lint trap after every load. But, since we’re talking fires here, let’s throw in a little bit of energy savings, as well: one of the greatest secrets to keeping your dryer in good condition and keep your electric bills low besides frequent cleaning is to use the dryer a little less.

Less use

Since you’re going to hang your clothing when it’s dry, many people opt to hang a clothes closet pole just above their washer and dryer, where they store extra hangers. The pole serves two purposes: hanging clothing which shouldn’t be dried in the clothes dryer and hanging clothing which is partially dry so it can dry completely on the hanger instead of in the dryer.

Because the 1) washer and 2) dryer are the two things which cause the most wear on your clothing, some people believe that the practice of partial-drying keeps clothing in better condition. Also, because the bulk of the drying is over in ten or fifteen minutes, this causes less use and wear on the dryer.

Flaps should be debris free

The dryer vent flaps should never be blocked, and should be checked quite regularly and during the drying cycle to make sure that they are fully open. The open vent confirms a good amount of air flow, indicating that the dryer vent hasn’t been inadvertently crushed. Make sure there aren’t any loose clothes articles around or behind the dryer, as these can also catch fire, or spread a fire which has already started.

Vent flaps and rodents

The other aspect of a dryer vent pipe which should be noted is the preference of small rodents and birds to make nests in dryer vents and dryer vent flaps. These nests are flammable and increase the potential for fire danger.

Have your dryer vents cleaned as often as is indicated in the manual to ensure that the internal components do not collect lint where it can’t be seen. Heavily used dryers require more frequent cleaning. If the dryer performs poorly or smells like smoke, call us immediately.

Freedom Appliance of Tampa Bay has 13 years experience in professional repair and installation of all laundry and kitchen appliances and dryer duct cleaning. Call 813-302-7672 today!