The (Un)Forgettable Cleaning Project
Having trouble remembering to schedule a dryer vent sweep? We aren’t surprised! Ah, remember the days in December and January of the freezing cold weather in Chicagoland? Sweaters piled up in the laundry room waiting to be washed? These many sweaters consistently being washed over the winter do take a toll on your dryer vent. It’s important to keep it regularly cleaned, as you might guess, the lint buildup in the dryer along with high temperatures logically cause fires. There are certain signs to look out for, such as your clothes not getting dry as quickly as usual. We don’t judge, it’s easy to forget to care for your dryer vent. After all, the bathroom might need fixing, and that’s just the top of many home repairs. However, here’s why you should prioritize scheduling a dryer vent sweep, especially in the beginning of spring time.
A Tunnel of Lint
You might think that you clean the dryer of lint every time you do a load of laundry. This is just the small tray that collects a lot of lint, but certainly not all. There’s a vent connected to the dryer behind it, likely hidden in your walls. Imagine a tunnel coated in a layer of sticky dust. Walking through the tunnel will coat you in a layer of sticky dust and eventually, you’ll get stuck in the tunnel. The dust, otherwise known as lint, builds up to make blockages in the vent tunnel. A chimney professional will go into the tunnel with service equipment and get all the lint out. We then make sure the rest of the lint is cleaned using special tools. Oftentimes, we see a giant pile lint fall out! Because lint is so flammable, it can be dangerous. It also builds up quickly, over the course of less than a year. Logically, this in combination with hot temperatures from the dryer, result in house fires.
A Spring Cleaning Project for the Professionals
A dryer vent sweep seems like it’s not too hard. Remove the dryer and use a long brush from the local hardware store to sweep out the lint. Is it really that easy? We have to answer with a no. The way your machine is installed matters as well. A professional from Superior Chimney will be able to identify if your dryer vent is installed correctly, and if not, then you may have to clean your dryer vent more than you’d like. This is an expensive problem to have. Longer drying times and multiple cleanings cost money. Also, did you know it’s easy to get carbon monoxide poisoning from a buildup of gasses in the dryer vent? So, if you are noticing very high temperatures in the room of your dryer, haven’t cleaned the dryer vent in some time, clothes not coming out dry after 45 minutes, or even unusual smells, it’s definitely important to call a professional for a dryer vent sweep.
Contacting A Professional Unfortunately, dryer fires are one of the leading causes of home fires and even carbon monoxide poisoning. If you noticed any of the above symptoms of a partially or fully blocked dryer vent, contact Superior Chimney for a dryer vent sweep at 877-244-6349.
This post first appeared on https://www.superiorchimney.net
