According to our friends at Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Jersey, there are over 15,500 dryer vent fires in the U.S. each year making dryer vent fires among the leading causes of house fires. Preventing a dryer vent fire requires some maintenance as a homeowner. Not only is it imperative that you clean the lint trap after every use, but removing trapped lint and debris from the rest of the exhaust system greatly reduces chance of dryer fires.
So how do you know if your dryer ducts need cleaning? There are some signs to watch out for:
- Clothes take longer to dry than usual
- Clothes are hotter than normal at end of drying cycle
- Dryer gets hot on outside
- Laundry room feels humid
- Exhaust vent flapper does not open very much when dryer is in use.
- Burnt odor in laundry room.
You can take care of vent cleaning yourself with a few instructions easily found online, but it can be time consuming and cumbersome depending on where vents are located. Hiring a professional dryer duct cleaning service like Dryer Vent Wizard of Central Jersey can be much more convenient and well worth it.
If you have not done so already, add “dryer vent cleaning” to your list of regular homeowner’s spring cleaning responsibilities. The more you do laundry, the more frequently you will need to have vents cleaned. Also, find out how your homeowner’s insurance policy will protect you in the event of a house fire due to failure to properly maintain insured property. Call us and we’ll review your insurance policy and make sure your homeowner’s insurance coverage is proper.
