As you prepare your list of home maintenance tasks, be sure to include the dryer vent cleaning Mississauga. This is not about the lint filter inside your clothes dryer — although that filter needs to be cleaned regularly, too. We’re talking about the duct that leads from the dryer to the outside of your home.
The leading cause of home fires in Canada is lint buildup in the dryer vent. And since your dryer is your home’s second most energy-intensive appliance (after your refrigerator), keeping it clean and well-maintained is also an energy- and money-saving move. The most basic maintenance involves periodic inspection and cleaning of the duct itself, which can be done by following a few simple dryer vent cleaning Mississauga.
Is Dryer Vent Cleaning Worth It?
Dryer vent cleaning Mississauga is largely about safety, but it’s also about your machine’s efficiency—and we all want our appliances to run efficiently, right? Efficacy is good for our clothes, good for our wallets, and good for the environment.
The following tips will help maintain your dryer in a safe and efficient space. Reduce flammable lint and improve airflow with the following maintenance steps, and you’ll be able to count on your dryer for many more laundry days while avoiding the trap of the “buy a new dryer” scam.
- Have A Pro Clear the Vent Once a Year
If you are like most people and only clean the lint filter before every load, then you have a large amount of lint that hasn’t found its way into the filter. This lint builds up inside the dryer, inside the vent, and eventually, if you’re lucky, it finds its way out of the vent to the outside. But all that time, all that lint, is a fire hazard.
And if you have a vent that is too long or has too many bends (like the one in my house), there is no way a DIY job can get all the lint out. Even a pro job twice a year cannot guarantee that there is no lint in there, bound for a fire.
- Maintain The Dryer with A Vent Brush Kit
Although it is recommended to have an annual dryer vent cleaning Mississauga, a dryer vent brush kit can be used to maintain the vent not only between cleanings but also to maintain the vent path back to the dryer. The kit consists of flexible rods and a brush that is designed to reach deep inside the vent path.
Lint, dust, dirt, and hair tend to accumulate inside the dryer itself, and the vent path leading to it. One good reason to use the vent brush kit periodically is to not allow any significant debris buildup to happen and to funnel clean airflow back to the dryer.
- Don’t Put Too Many Clothes in The Dryer
When you have too many clothes packed into the dryer, it works too hard and can overheat. That’s not good for the dryer, of course, but it’s also not good for your clothes. They could come out wrinkly or even damaged. And you know what? Lint could be coming out of the dryer too, and that’s something we don’t want.
- Use A Duct That Isn’t Plastic or Vinyl
You might be inclined to get a dryer duct that’s made of plastic or vinyl. After all, aren’t they just as good, if not better, than a duct made of metal? Wrong.
- Ensure Adequate Ventilation and Airflow
Poor ventilation can cause moisture to accumulate in the dryer vent. When this moisture mixes with the amount of lint that the dryer produces, it can form a blockage that prevents the dryer from venting properly.
The dryer does not have the kind of fan that a ventilation system has, so the airflow coming out of the dryer is not very strong. For this reason, the dryer vent’s ductwork should not have any sharp bends or long runs that could trap any lint. A well-vented dryer is necessary for maximization of airflow to avoid any possible blockages.
- Seek Expert Help for Tricky Installations
For a dryer vent with a long or complicated route, it’s worth it to spend a little more and get the professionals to handle not just the installation but also the regular dryer vent cleaning Mississauga that’s necessary to keep airflow optimal. Vents that tend to be lint traps because of their design definitely need the kind of expert attention that guarantees the installation was done right in the first place.
