There are many advantages to having your dryer vent regularly cleaning, including:
- More efficient clothes drying. Have you noticed that you frequently have to keep adding more time to your dryer because your clothes are still damp? Cleaning out the dryer vent can cut down on your drying time by making each cycle more effective.
- Lower energy bill. Not only will you save time with shorter drying cycles, but you’ll also save money! Having a more efficient dryer will use less electricity, leading to a lower energy bill.
- Cleaner air. When lint builds up in your dryer vent, it can affect the air quality in your laundry room and the rest of your home.
What are the potential risks of a blocked dryer vent?
Homeowners should also know about the potential hazards of foregoing dryer vent cleaning, such as:
- House fires. Lint is a highly flammable material that can combust with enough heat. This is especially true during the dry, winter season, according to the Avon Lake Fire Department.
- Allergies. Have you been experiencing worse allergies or respiratory irritation on laundry days? You could be reacting to exposure to lint and dust coming from the dryer vent.
- Damage to the dryer. When there’s a blockage in the exhaust vent, the motor in your dryer has to work harder and longer to dry your clothes. This added wear and tear can burn out the motor more quickly.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning. Your dryer vent doesn’t only remove lint from your dryer, but also carbon monoxide. Blockages in the vent, then, can lead to a dangerous accumulation of gas in your laundry room.
- Mold. The air that is removed from your dryer is humid and warm. When the air becomes trapped in the air duct, it creates the perfect environment for mold growth.
How often do you need dryer vent cleaning?
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of cleaning your dryer vent (and risks of not doing so!), you might be asking yourself how often you need dryer vent cleaning. The general rule is once per year, but you should schedule extra cleanings if:
- You live in a household with pets. As a pet owner, you know that their hair and dander ends up on your clothes! This can lead to faster build-up of lint in your air ducts.
- You run multiple loads per week. If you’re running multiple washes per week to keep up with the kids’ sports, newborn baby clothes, or extra roommates, your vents will become clogged faster.
- Your dryer unit is on the older side. If you’ve had your dryer for more than a few years, chances are it may already be experiencing issues with efficiency. It will be all the more important to keep the vents clean.
- You smell a mildewy smell in your laundry room or on your clothes. This could be a sign that a mold colony has put down roots in your air ducts.
- Your dryer is steadily losing efficiency. If drying your clothes is taking longer than before, it’s time to schedule an extra vent cleaning.
- Someone in your household suffers from respiratory problems. If a family member is already dealing with seasonal allergies or allergies from pet dander, it’s a good idea to schedule more than one duct cleaning a year.
- You’ve recently experienced a flooding event in your home. In the wake of a burst pipe or other water damage, you’ll want to make sure that your dryer vent is clean to prevent a mold problem.
- You’ve recently had pest extermination. Pest control will remove rodents, birds, and other pests from your HVAC, but you could still be exposed to droppings and other debris. To put your pest problem to rest for good, call in a vent cleaning service to remove what was left behind.
When is the best time for dryer vent cleaning?
As we mentioned, winter is the time of year that Ohio homeowners are at highest risk for a house fire. So, scheduling a cleaning before the temperatures drop, sometime in October or December, is a good idea.
But, if you’ll be arranging for more than one cleaning in a year, we would also recommend calling Bee Clean for a spring dryer vent cleaning. This may help with seasonal allergies while also making your dryer vents an inhospitable place for pests who reappear in spring.