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Did you know that dirty dryer vents are the number one cause of house fires?

It’s a surprise to most people, but firefighters know that when debris gets trapped in the dryer vent, an often-overlooked fire hazard endangers everybody in the home. Most people rely on electric clothes dryers but don’t figure that fire prevention applies to dryers as well. The U.S. Fire Administration, a division of the Department of Homeland Security, estimates that there are more than 15,000 fires caused by clothes dryers on an annual basis.

Having your dryer vents cleaned is critically important to the safety of your family and home.

Dryer vent maintenance is easy to overlook. The statistics show that it really is dangerous to ignore dryer vent maintenance.

When it’s time to change the smoke detector batteries, it’s a good idea to also check that the dryer vent is clear. When you understand how dryer vents get so dirty and the dangers of a clogged vent, it’s easy to see why dryer vent maintenance is essential to a safe home.

Why dryer vents get so dirty

Clothes dryers circulate very hot air into the dryer drum. This hot air must go somewhere, which is why the dryer has a hose or pipe the sucks this air through the dryer vent and out of the house. You can probably imagine how hot your dryer and laundry room would get without a vent, not to mention how your clothes would shrink.

All this hot air swirling around the tumbling clothes knocks all those little pieces of lint loose, creating debris. Also, items left in pockets, from tissues to papers to dollar bills spew out their own debris. As you are aware, the dryer has a lint trap, which catches most of these particles. However, the lint trap doesn’t catch everything.

Some debris always passes through the trap and works its way into the air hose and vent. Over time, larger clumps of debris form in the vent. This process is similar to what happens to a furnace when the filer goes unchanged for too long, and dirt builds up in the coil. However, when this happens to the dryer vent, you don’t get a higher heating bill. You get a fire.

The risk associated with a dirty dryer vent

Make sure to always keep the lint trap clean. The lint trap is actually a safety device. Its purpose is preventing the combustible lint and other debris from clogging the ventilation pipe and sparking a fire when the very hot air from the dryer blows through the pipe.

When the lint trap gets too dirty, the hot air from the dryer has a harder time passing through the lint trap and entering the ventilation pipe. This drives up the temperature of the air in the dryer, creating a fire hazard. The air that makes it through the lint trap is super-heated, making it dangerous when it contacts debris trapped in the hose and vent. A small spark can cause a fast spreading fire.

Schedule regular vent cleaning service

Dryer vents need regular cleaning. Be sure to find a professional home cleaning company in your area that cleans dryer vents and schedule periodic cleanings. Hint: Why not have the dryer vent cleaned at the same time you have the airducts or carpets cleaned? You’ll not only have a clean home with clean air, but a safer home as well. Also, remember to always keep the lint trap clean.

Dryer vents present a serious risk to property and life when not properly maintained. Cleaning the lint trap reduces the chance of a fire sparking inside the machine. It also reduces the amount of debris that travels through the vent and builds up in the vent pipe.

However, over time, lint and debris will build up in the vent and it must be removed. A professional air duct cleaning service such as Unique Air Duct Cleaning is the best way. Cleaning services have the needed hoses and brushes and the experience to know how to get all of the debris out of the vent. The cost is very minimal, and your dryer will run much more efficiently. Most importantly, you’ll ensure the safety of your family.

Unique Air Duct Cleaning has been cleaning air ducts and dryer vents for over 25 years! As a family owned and operated business, we know how important it is to keep disruptions in your home or business to a minimum. Our dryer vent cleaning services can be completed without anybody home and we use the most advanced cleaning systems available. Keep the air in your home clean by having your air ducts cleaned as well. That is our specialty! Call today to find out how we can keep the air in your home or business clean so it can help keep you healthy!