How Often Should You Be Cleaning Dryer Vent in Your Home?

Most of the homeowners do not realize how important it is to clean their dryer vents. Although laundry can be viewed as a routine, it should be noted that a blocked vent can become a real threat to safety or a very expensive repair problem. Cleaning of dryer vents should be done regularly to maintain your appliance efficient, safe and long lasting. However, there is one more question--how frequently should you be doing it?

 

The General Rule of Cleaning Dryer Vents

 

Professionals suggest that dryer vent should be cleaned at least once a year. This schedule is convenient to the average home that completes the laundry a couple of times every week. Nevertheless, the frequency may change depending on the aspects like a size of the household, the frequency of laundry, and the kind of dryer that is being used. Depending on the number of loads per day, households might be required to clean vents after every six months, and other smaller families might be able to clean after once a year.

 

Symptoms Your Dryer Vent Requires Repair

 

Although you may have a cleaning schedule that follows every year, there are indications that your vent might require maintenance at a time that is earlier than your schedule. When the clothes are not drying as quickly, the dryer is unusually hot or you are smelling like burning, it may be possible that the vent is clogged with lint. Other warning signs would be the accumulation of lint around the dryer door or too much moisture in the laundry room. Early fixes of these problems using the right cleaning dryer vent services will help avoid the risk of fire and ensure that your dryer is not overloaded.

 

The Case of Why Cleaning Often Is Important

 

Lint poses a great risk as it is very flammable and thus blocked vents are the most prevalent causes of house fire. The cleaning of dryer vent systems on a regular basis eliminates this risk and ensures that your home is safe. A clean vent will enable your dryer to perform more effectively, conserve energy and reduce utility expenses in addition to improving safety. It also minimizes wear and tear on the appliance, which helps in increasing the life of the machine and prevents the need to repair or replace the appliance at high costs.

 

Reasons That Cause Change of Cleaning Frequency

 

The frequency with which your dryer vent should be cleaned can change depending on a number of factors. A bigger household of course produces more laundry resulting in quicker lint accumulation. The design and length of the vent system is also important, the longer the ducts are with numerous bends, the more lint they are likely to trap. Besides, pets in the house add fur and dander that may build up in the vent. Should any of these be applicable to you, think of cleaning dryer vent systems more often than you used to do, say more than once every year.

 

Professional and DIY cleaning

 

Although others of the house owners clean their vents themselves, the service of the professionals is more profound and detailed. Special tools are used by professionals to eliminate the lint and debris in the whole length of the duct and leave nothing behind. Outsourcing services to clean dryer vent systems also enables them to check on damages, leakages or clogs which cannot be detected during DIY projects.

 

Final Thoughts

 

All it takes to ensure the safety, efficiency and reliability of your dryer is routine maintenance. To most households, it is advised that the dryer vent units should be cleaned at least once a year, although the bigger households might have to clean it more frequently. By simply listening to caution signs and thinking about professional assistance, you will be sure your appliance will work even without exposing your home to the avoidable dangers.