Have you ignored cleaning your dryer vent for a long time? If yes, then you may be compromising your health and safety. It might not seem like an immediate issue, but cleaners and dryers are an important part of our lives. An average residential home uses a dryer several times a week and, in the process, collects a large amount of lint. This lint gets trapped in the dryer vent and the lint filter.
Of course, this is not the issue, but the buildup of lint in the dryer vent over time hampering the passage of air can be a serious issue. This is probably the reason to call a dryer vent cleaning service from time to time.
This blog discusses the advantages of regularly cleaning your dryer vent and the serious consequences of a blocked vent.
What is a dryer vent?
While drying your clothes, you might have noticed a vent connecting your dryer to the outside with an exhaust. This is essential to remove the excess moisture, heat, and lint that comes out of the clothes during the drying cycle.
Its primary function is to exhaust excess moisture and lint from the clothes during drying. The dryer vent also prevents the build-up of mold and mildew from the moisture, curbing any fire hazards and maintaining the efficiency of your dryers.
Dryer vents normally have three parts: an exhaust fan, a vent duct, and an exterior outlet connected to the duct. The dryer exhaust forces the hot air and excess lint through the duct to the outside so it does not accumulate and clothes dry properly.
Benefits of cleaning dryer vents
Several benefits of dryer vent cleaning that affect the working of your dryer along with your health and safety. Let’s discuss them.
- Faster clothes drying time:
If you have difficulty drying your clothes and multiple cycles of drying are needed, it is an indication that the warm air and moisture from your dryer are not getting properly exhausted. A clean vent will efficiently dry out your clothes and reduce the load on your dryer, also reducing the number of drying cycles.
- Maintaining cloth quality:
Every single time clothes come in contact with heat, the fabrics lose their quality. Multiple cycles of dryers can speed up the process and damage your clothes quickly. Reducing the number of cycles needed to dry the clothes will slow the cloth damage and increase its life, maintaining its quality for a long time.
- Prevents allergens:
Lint and dust trapped inside the vents can trap moisture. Wet lint inside your vents can attract allergens from mold. Over time, these allergens may spread throughout your house through air circulation and can become a health risk. This is especially dangerous for young children, aged people, and people having breathing problems.
- Prevents the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning:
If your dryer runs on gas, it is another reason to be mindful of your dryer vent cleaning, as gas dryers release carbon monoxide. A clean duct vent can efficiently vent out carbon monoxide, but a clogged vent will block the passage, and it will be accumulated and released into your home. This can create a dangerous situation for everyone living there as this is a poisonous gas and can be fatal.
- Reduces the risks of fire:
Lints captured in the vent can sometimes catch fire from the heat released by the dryer. This can be dangerous as dry lint easily catches fire and is very difficult to put out. Moreover, you may not even notice it burns inside the vent for a long time, posing an additional danger to the residents.
- Low electricity usage:
A clean dryer vent will allow the dryer to run efficiently and avoid needing multiple cycles to clean the clothes. This will reduce the running time for your dryer and help reduce the electricity bills.
- Extends dryer life:
Professional dryer vent cleaning is more efficient in maintaining your dryer and extending its life. A clean vent will make sure that the dryer runs properly and is not overloaded. This will prevent the dryer from overworking to balance poor venting. Less stress from efficiently heat exhaust and lint filtration will allow the dryer to last longer.
- Improves indoor air quality:
Clean vents will allow heat released by the dryer to escape readily to the outdoors and maintain good ventilation throughout the home. Proper flow of fresh air inside your home leads to better air quality.
- Removes unpleasant smell from the house:
Dirty and clogged vents do not allow your dryer to release its heat outside, and moisture and heat are trapped inside the vents. The wet lint and warm temperature allow mold to grow in the vents. They can spread very fast, creating a very unpleasant and foul smell inside your home and causing health problems. The foul smell can spread through your home and create a very unpleasant living environment. Cleaning the vents regularly will help maintain a fresh atmosphere inside the house.
Consequences of not cleaning the dryer vents
- Damage to dryer:
When the lint and dust trapped in the vent obstruct heat from flowing out, it is trapped inside the dryer, damaging the dryer if the stress is not released.
- House fire:
Lints trapped in the dryer can ignite at any time due to the heat released by the dryer and cause a fire hazard.
- Pest infiltration:
Dirty vents and humidity provide the perfect environment for growth and spread throughout the house, eventually creating a health emergency.
- Carbon monoxide buildup:
Gas run dryer releases carbon monoxide while running and is vented out by the dryer vent. A clogged vent will back up the carbon monoxide into the house, which is dangerous to the residents and potentially fatal.
Conclusion
Cleaning your dryer vents may be way down your to-do list, but it is an important task. It can lead to many serious scenarios, as discussed above. The best way to go about it is to get professional dryer vent cleaning. Professionals will inspect your entire vent system for problems and resolve them properly with efficient tools. They might also help resolve underlying issues that you may not know. If you would like your vents professionally cleaned, you may visit ALLSWELL CLEANING.
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