My Dryer Is Clogged With Lint
If you have noticed that your dryer is getting a little hairy because of an abundance of accumulated lint, it's time to clean it out. If your dryer becomes clogged with lint it can lead to problems. Once you know why lint accumulates and what lint clogs can lead to, you will have a clear idea of how to rid your dryer of lint clogs, how to prevent future clogs and the motivation to stay on top of this important maintenance issue in your laundry room. Does this Spark an idea?
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How Lint Accumulates
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As your load of laundry tumbles in the dryer, the moisture and hot air inside the drum is joined by tiny bits of lint that come off the fabric in the clothing. These small pieces of cotton or other materials make up the eventual mass that clogs your dryer. Most of the lint is caught by the lint trap, and bits that get past the trap end up blowing out through the vent with the hot air and may end up outside. Unfortunately, because of bends in the ventilation and moisture making the lint bits sticky, some of the lint sticks to the inside of the ventilation pipes. Over the many loads of laundry the buildup becomes thick and can eventually choke off the flow of air that leads outdoors.
Efficiency Problems
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One of the immediate effects of lint clogs in your dryer is the lack of efficiency that results from it. First, the humid, hot air will not be able to leave the drum as easily, which means loads will take longer to dry. This increases the time the dryer must run and increases energy usage and electric bills. When the dryer finishes a timed cycle, often the items inside will be hot and damp. This is especially true of towels and other heavy items.
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Safety Hazards
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When lint clogs your dryer's vent pipes it means the exhaust from the dryer cannot escape to the outdoors. If you have a gas dryer, this can be a dangerous situation. When gas burns it emits carbon dioxide, a toxic gas. If the fumes are unable to escape because of a clog in the exhaust, the household is in danger of inhaling these potentially deadly fumes. The other hazard, for gas or electric dryers, is the buildup of heat combined with the presence of highly flammable lint. When the clog prevents proper ventilation, the heat inside the dryer can rise to a level that could ignite the lint and cause a fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration website, there are nearly 13,000 dryer fires in residential buildings annually in the United States.
Cleaning
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Keeping your vents and lint traps clean is the key to avoiding clogs and associated problems. Clean the lint trap each time you use the dryer. It takes only a moment. Once you finish the load of laundry, pull out the trap and clean it off with your hand, throwing away the accumulated lint. Using a brush or auger once a year to clean out the vent pipes will prevent most lint problems in your dryer. There are also services that specialize in cleaning them out if you don't want to do it yourself. The shorter and straighter the vents are, the less clogging will occur.
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References
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