Important reminder to clean your dryer vents
Jun 17, 2013 9:20:09 GMT -6
lanyb1, hsmomof6, and 4 more like this
Post by skincarekathy- (admin) on Jun 17, 2013 9:20:09 GMT -6
My neighborhood has 100 houses (50 duplex buildings). I have lived here since 2005. Since then at least 10 homes have had fires because their dryer vents are clogged with lint and catch on fire.
Cleaning this out is on my "June" list every year. I did it today, and pulled out an entire vacuum bag + an entire small trash can full of lint (I have around 20 feet of vent to the outside). I just got new towels (uber lint when you first wash them) and the back of the dryer was also packed with lint.
This job is easiest with a kit like this: www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3510231&cp=19702286.1260771
1) Take everything out of the dryer. Take out the lint trap, clean it out, and vacuum down the hole it feeds into.
2) Unplug and/or turn off gas to dryer.
3) Disconnect the vent hose from the back of your dryer and from the wall. This will be 2 connections and you will probably need a screwdriver.
4) Vacuum all inside the back of the dryer. Inside the pipe the hose you just disconnected goes to. If there is a lot, you can reach up in there and yank it out in clumps, then vacuum again.
5) Vacuum inside the vent pipe that goes into the wall. Use the big pipe-cleaner thing to yank out more. Stuff pipe cleaner up pipe, when you meet resistance, pull back. Remove lint wad. Repeat until you no longer meet resistance with the pipe cleaner. Give the pipe a final vacuum.
6) Find where your dryer vents outside. Get a ladder. Be safe. Repeat the pipe cleaner steps from the outside until you can remove no more lint.
7) Reconnect the vent hose to the back of the dryer and the vent pipe. Plug back in & turn the gas back on.
8) Turn on the dryer, can just be the no-heat cycle. Run back outside and make sure air is blowing through the vent pipe to the outside. Probably more lint is being blown out because you disturbed everything, clean that up too.
Dryer lint is a good fertilizer for plants. Can be put right on the garden or into houseplant pots. It will biodegrade itself.
So by doing this you will prevent a possible fire, plus your dryer will dry faster using less energy and your appliance will last longer.
(It took me about 1/2 hour).
Cleaning this out is on my "June" list every year. I did it today, and pulled out an entire vacuum bag + an entire small trash can full of lint (I have around 20 feet of vent to the outside). I just got new towels (uber lint when you first wash them) and the back of the dryer was also packed with lint.
This job is easiest with a kit like this: www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3510231&cp=19702286.1260771
1) Take everything out of the dryer. Take out the lint trap, clean it out, and vacuum down the hole it feeds into.
2) Unplug and/or turn off gas to dryer.
3) Disconnect the vent hose from the back of your dryer and from the wall. This will be 2 connections and you will probably need a screwdriver.
4) Vacuum all inside the back of the dryer. Inside the pipe the hose you just disconnected goes to. If there is a lot, you can reach up in there and yank it out in clumps, then vacuum again.
5) Vacuum inside the vent pipe that goes into the wall. Use the big pipe-cleaner thing to yank out more. Stuff pipe cleaner up pipe, when you meet resistance, pull back. Remove lint wad. Repeat until you no longer meet resistance with the pipe cleaner. Give the pipe a final vacuum.
6) Find where your dryer vents outside. Get a ladder. Be safe. Repeat the pipe cleaner steps from the outside until you can remove no more lint.
7) Reconnect the vent hose to the back of the dryer and the vent pipe. Plug back in & turn the gas back on.
8) Turn on the dryer, can just be the no-heat cycle. Run back outside and make sure air is blowing through the vent pipe to the outside. Probably more lint is being blown out because you disturbed everything, clean that up too.
Dryer lint is a good fertilizer for plants. Can be put right on the garden or into houseplant pots. It will biodegrade itself.
So by doing this you will prevent a possible fire, plus your dryer will dry faster using less energy and your appliance will last longer.
(It took me about 1/2 hour).
