The U.S. Fire Administration reports that every year more than 2,900 home fires are started by clothes dryers, and the leading cause of these fires is a buildup of lint due to lack of simple maintenance on the part of the owner. Each load of laundry that passes through your washing machine and makes its way to your clothes dryer contains lint—mostly small particles of cloth and fiber that are loosened from clothing by the action of agitating water.

If you think that the removable lint filter in your dryer catches all this, think again. Plenty of lint makes it past the filter and gets trapped in crevices deep inside the lint filter trap and all along the dryer vent hose or duct as it makes its way to the outside vent opening. When the collections build up, they restrict airflow and lead to overheating, which can ignite the lint itself.

There are several warning signs that dangerous lint buildup has occurred in your dryer and venting system, indicating that it needs a thorough cleaning:

• Clothes take longer to dry or don’t dry fully

• Clothes are hotter than normal at the end of the drying cycle

• Outside of dryer gets very hot

• Outside exhaust vent flapper does not open very much, indicating low exhaust velocity

• Laundry room becomes more humid than usual

• Burnt smell is evident in the laundry room

If you need an inspection,Dryer Vent
Cleaning, contact us today.
Chimney Sweep US
(206) 590-7060