The One Thing Most Homeowners Forget About Laundry Appliance Care
Laundry appliance care is oftentimes omitted from the ‘home to-do’ list.
One simple yet very important house maintenance task frequently overlooked by homeowners is the regular cleaning of their dryer vent. Obvious attention is taken to such potential issues as plumbing and electrical problems, for example. And of course these are situations that must be addressed on a regular basis.
But having the dryer vent cleaned, at least annually, if not more often, is as important as any other task in the home. There are several important reasons for this, all very pertinent to the safety and economy in the home.
Perhaps the most concerning variable that homeowners need to consider is the threat that fire may occur with clogged up dryer vents. The dryer continuously vents hot air while in use. Untended to vents will ultimately wear out the heating element and blower. A burning smell detected while the dryer is running is one telltale sign that vents are experiencing blockage, and must be attended to immediately.
Another sign that venting problems may be occurring is if the dryer is hot to the touch during operation, or right afterwards. Examining clothing temperature at this point will yield similar extraordinary hot temperatures. This is another sign that the dryer is not able to take that hot air and exhaust it properly.
Lint should, quite naturally, be cleaned from the lint filter after every dryer use. But if lint is protruding from outside this filter, that is another warning sign that there may be a measure of vent blockage.
Even if lint is removed after each time the dryer is used, lint can accumulate inside the dryer, unable to be seen. It cannot be removed without the proper tools and maintenance.
Oftentimes, drying clothes seems to take longer than it used to. Some would believe that the dryer is getting older, and that’s the natural course of events. And that of course could be the case. But it could very well be the vent is clogged, reducing the dryer’s efficiency, resulting in a longer dry time. Running longer and working harder to do the same job it used to do efficiently greatly contributes to the machine’s wear and tear, and will most certainly shorten the life of the dryer.
Inefficiency in the dryer that results in the dryer having to run longer to do the same job it used to, in the standard time it takes to perform the clothes drying in the time it is supposed to, has negative ramifications that go beyond the safety of the home and the breaking down of the dryer unit prematurely. Such extra time spent drying clothing, over a not so long period of time, takes its toll on the energy bill.
Clothes dryers are one of the biggest energy users in the household. Extra time spent drying clothes on each load will result in energy expenditure adding up very quickly. This will very soon be seen on electricity bills, which can be directly attributed to the extra, wasted time the dryer has to operate to get the task done right.
Lint in the dryer adds up very quickly. No matter what garment goes in the dryer, it will create lint of varying degrees. Each and every time the dryer is turned on, the lint filter must be cleaned off, even if it’s the same load of clothes that need additional drying.
Even taking all measures that need to be taken with the dryer on a regular basis, a thorough, dryer vent cleaning should be performed by qualified dryer vent cleaner technicians at least once a year to ensure vents and the dryer are thoroughly cleaned and properly maintained. This may be necessary more than once yearly if the dryer usage is higher, among other like variables.
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aundry appliance care
When it comes to laundry appliance care, homeowners should be proactive in their care and servicing of their dryer and dryer vents. The wisest thing they can do in this situation is to research reputable, respected companies in their area that specialize in cleaning services within the home. They should ensure that they can get reliable, free estimates on services they provide, making sure that they are insured, and looking out for homeowner’s safety as their top priority while on the job.
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