Clothes Dryer Safety

• If it takes more than 45 minutes to dry a full load of clothes you need a dryer vent cleaning service.
• If your dryer is excessively hot to the touch you need to call a dryer vent cleaner.
• If you dryer vent is made of flexible tubing you need a metal dryer vent duct installed.
• If flammable lint buildup has not been removed from inside your dryer or dryer vent duct this year you need a dryer vent cleaning service.

The Lint Screen

The lint screen should be cleaned after every load of laundry. When the dryer lint screen is full, air flow is restricted and your dryer works harder to dry your clothes. Heat and moisture need to escape in order for clothes to dry. Over time, the lint screen can become clogged with residue from dryer sheet, so it should be cleaned every few months with soapy water.

Dryer Vent Cleaning

Clothes dryers are by nature very sturdy and hard working machines; however, they do have limitations. Dryer vent cleaning and proper maintanance will keep your dryer operating safely and at maximum performance for years.

Dryer Ducts and Dryer Vents

Only about 60% of lint removed from laundry is caught in the lint screen. The rest escapes into the dryer ducts and the inside of the dryer. Air flow forces the lint in the direction of the dryer vent cap; however, much of it gets trapped somewhere in the system. Eventually, it builds up to the point of restricting airflow which causes overheating. Lint is combustable. An overheated dryer is likely to throw sparks. When added to the lint the completes the recipe for disaster... a dryer fire!!!

Facts

A full load of wet clothes placed in a dryer contains about one half gallon of water. As water is removed, lint is created from the clothes. (Underwater Laboratories)

The number of clothes dryer fires has dropped by 35% from 24,000 fires that occur annually, on average, in the late 1970s.

Lack of maintenance is a contributing factor to clothes dryer fires. People aren't cleaning lint traps as often as they should not are the checking and cleaning vent systems on a periodic basis. (Underwater Laboratories)

The U.S. Fire Administration's most recent study reports residential clothes dryer fires were associated with 12,700 fires nationally, resulting in 15 deaths and 300 injuries annually.