When Is The Last Time You Had Your Dryer Vent Cleaned?

Four Year’s Worth Of Lint Accumulation In Dryer Vent

For many households, the clothes dryer is an indispensable convenience and necessity. However, damaging fires can occur if clothes dryers and their venting are not properly maintained.

Annually over 15,500 house fires are caused by clogged clothes dryer vents resulting in approximately 35 deaths, 425 injuries and over $205 million in property damage.  A family’s dreams and memories can be destroyed in minutes.

The How’s and Whys of a Clothes Dryer Fire 

A clothes dryer works by forcing hot air through a turning drum. Wet clothes placed in the drum are then dried by moving hot air. It is possible for a full load of wet clothes to contain as much as one and a half gallons of water.

Lint, consisting mostly of small fibers from the clothes and debris in or on the clothes, is created from the clothes as the clothes tumble in the drum. While much of the lint is trapped by the dryer’s filter, lint is also carried through the vent system along with moist air.

Lint is a highly combustible material that can accumulate both in the dryer and in the dryer vent.

Accumulated lint leads to reduced airflow and can pose a potential fire hazard.  In addition to the accumulation of lint, blockage in dryer exhaust vents also can occur from the nests of small birds or other animals or from damages to the venting system itself.

A compromised vent will not exhaust properly to the outside. As a result, overheating may occur, and a fire may ensue.

How To Tell If Your Dryer Vent Needs Cleaning

  • Your dryer takes an unusually long time to dry your clothes. Even after multiple cycles, clothes may still be damp. If there isn’t anything wrong with the dryer, this can be a sign that the dryer vents need to be cleaned.
  • At the end of the dryer cycle, your clothes are very hot. This can be because the hot air that the dryer produces isn’t able to escape properly due to clogged vents.
  • The outside, especially the top, of the dryer is very hot. This is often because the dryer is working too hard, trying to push air through vents that are clogged with lint.
  • The dampers or flappers of the exhaust termination don’t open or barely open when the dryer is running. This can be because air is not traveling at all or very poorly through the vents.
  • The laundry room starts to feel very warm or humid when the dryer is in use. The hot, damp air can’t escape through the vents, so it lingers in the laundry room.
  • Moisture stains occur along the path of the dryer vent and exhaust. This can indicate that hot, moist air is escaping through the venting system, often because it’s being blocked by excessive lint.
  • You may notice excessive dust in the laundry room. This is because lint is getting backed up in the dryer vents and then blown back into the laundry room.
  • The dryer may stop before the dry cycle is finished because it can’t properly vent the hot air or the unit itself gets overheated. Clogged vents contribute to this.
  • A burnt smell in the laundry room can indicate that lint is backed up. If you notice a burnt smell, you should have the dryer and dryer vents inspected right away, as this could cause a fire.

If you notice any of the warning signs or multiple signs, it is time to call the experts at Tru-Clean . We provide free inspections / free estimates and reliable service to ensure that your dryer and venting system are working properly.

It should also be noted that a clean dryer vent system will help reduce electric costs (dryer will not require multiple cycles) and extend the life of your dryer.

Tru-Clean is a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the International Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI).  In addition, we are A+ Rated with the Better Business Bureau and a five-year-in-a-row-winner of the coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award.

For more information on our thoroughly exhaustive dryer vent cleaning service please visit Tru-Clean online at www.trucleansurfacecare.com or give us a call any time at 239-541-4888.

Dryer vent fires are preventable.  If your clothes are taking more than one cycle to dry or you’re experiencing any of the warning signs mentioned earlier, it’s time to have your dryer vent cleaned.

Tru-Clean provides thoroughly exhaustive dryer vent cleaning services throughout the cities of Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach, Lehigh Acres, Estero, Bonita Springs, Naples, Marco Island, Sanibel, Captiva, Alva, Buckingham, Matlacha, Bokeelia, Pine Island, Saint James City, Useppa, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte Florida