If you live in Seattle and own a clothes dryer, you should know that dryer cleanliness is essential to proper performance. The professionals in Seattle can take care of the more difficult vent cleaning, and the rest is an easy do-it-yourself!
Have you noticed that it takes longer and longer for your clothes to dry? Does a load of towels now take two or three drying cycles, and sometimes feels a little damp? If so, you’re probably also paying higher gas or electric bills.
The solution may be simpler and less expensive than you think.
Most people think that the dryer itself is the problem, but it usually turns out that the venting pipe that exhausts the dryer to the outside of the house has become clogged with lint. If your dryer can’t vent out the heat and moisture in the clothes, then your laundry can't dry. Over time, running the dryer this way will eventually create enough extra wear and tear on the dryer parts. It will ultimately lead to expensive dryer repairs, and it could turn your dryer into a potential fire hazard.
Most dryers now have a safety feature that will shut the dryer off if it senses that it’s overheating, which can happen when there’s a buildup clogging the venting system. This could be one reason why your clothes don't get dry.
Who do you contact to get the venting system brushed out and inspected? Most appliance technicians will only deal with the dryer itself and want nothing to do with your house's vents. Generally the people to contact are local Seattle chimney sweeps. If you hire one, make sure they are certified as a dryer exhaust technician.
One of the main causes for buildup in the dryer venting system is from forgetting to remove pieces of paper, wrappers, or Kleenex from pants pockets before doing the laundry. In 1998, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that there were 15,600 dryer-caused fires, resulting in 20 deaths and 370 injuries. The fire hazard, in many cases, was the lint and paper that gets past the lint screen inside the dryer.
Here’s a few quick tips about dryer safety:
- Have a qualified appliance technician clean the interior of the dryer several times a year to minimize the chance of fire.
- Lint should be removed from the lint screen before each load of laundry. Every few months, take the lint screen out and wash it with water, liquid soap and a toothbrush.
- The flexible connector hose between the dryer and the wall should be made from aluminum and not plastic. It should not be kinked or crushed, since this will restrict the dryer’s ability to vent properly and may cause the dryer to overheat.
- If your dryer is located in a laundry closet or small room, the door to that room should be left open while the dryer is running.