How Often Should Dryer Vents Be Cleaned?

I wanted to cover the subject of how often dryer vents should be cleaned. Most dryer vents should be cleaned at least every 2 years or so. This depends on the length of your vent and how often the dryer is used weekly. Cleaning the dryer vent can help prevent the possibility of a house fire. Plus, it can save you money on electricity (or gas cost). A clean vent allows the dryer to do a better job, allowing your clothes to dry quickly with less energy consumed. Take time to notice if your dryer seems to be running longer with the same amount of clothes, it may be time to have the vent cleaned.

We often see the white flexible vinyl type vent coming out the back of 90% of dryers we service. This type of material can be highly flammable and creates dangerous fumes when catching the vinyl connector between the dryer and wall on fire. If the lint catches on fire while the dryer is running it can also blow balls of lint around in the area where the dryer sits and behind the sheetrock behind the dryer which causes the fire to spread faster. Hopefully, you catch it soon enough and the fire dept gets there in time to keep the damage to a minimum. The washer/ dryer area is one place we recommend putting a smoke detector to give a early warning about smoke or fire in this area . Also, have a good A,B, C type fire extinguisher ( like one you see in the hardware store, etc.) handy in case you need one quick. That can be the difference between you knocking down a small fire or having the house burn down.