Thursday, November 14, 2013

A Dirty Deal

I am so thankful for my clothes dryer & I bet your feel the same way.
I've had this little sign in my laundry room for over 25 years.

Okay, people, listen up to this public service announcement!
Clean your dryer vents!!!
I had known for several weeks that ours needed cleaning because it was taking forever for a load of laundry to dry.
Sunday afternoon, Hubby & I decided to tackle the job.  
It was a dirty deal!  
This is the first amount we dug out.  We pulled a HUGE amount of lint from the outside vent.  It looked like someone had been shearing sheep. When we finished, the trashcan was 1/2 full.  Hubby said we were lucky that there hadn't been a fire.
We also took the lower panel off the front of the dryer & thoroughly cleaned this area.
Don't forget to wash the lint trap.  Residue from dryer sheets clogs up the mesh.  Let it air dry before placing it back in the dryer.  
Now, the clothes dry faster, which means we're saving energy.
Next time we clean the dryer we're going to buy this nifty little tool to make the job easier.

Remember, only you can prevent dryer fires!
source

6 comments:

Stacey said...

Thank goodness you caught it in time. I think everyone learns that lesson at least once.

Vee said...

Oh that's a good reminder. We have a new dryer so ours was done when it was installed. I note that my new dryer has a filter that can't easily be removed...requires a special tool for removing the special screws. Annoying!

I think that vent tool would work great for cleaning under the refrigerator and all those vents, too. (It was a team effort for that little chore yesterday, too. )

Kathe said...

I have become very aware of keeping the dryer vents cleaned out since we moved into the new house. I am trying to clean them once a month. Thanks for the friendly reminder :-)

Sis Sue said...

Good tip. We could always do it the old fashioned way and freeze dry clothes. ; )

Sue said...

Great advice Carol, I try to clean my vent often! Thanks for sharing.

Maggie Ann said...

That burnt up dryer picture is sure scary. We empty our lint trap daily but who knows what is in the pipe! Thanks for the reminder.