Many people think that all of their appliances last forever. That they do not need any kind of maintenance except perhaps a slight surface cleaning now and then. But what about the parts and mechanisms on the inside? Do they not also need a good spring cleaning every year?
One of the most dangerous appliances in your home would be your dryer. Keep in mind, we are not saying that your dryer is not safe; we are simply saying that without proper DAILY cleanings, problems may arise at some point. Mainly this daily cleaning would involve keeping your lint trap clear to allow safe airflow while your dryer is running.
But what is lint?
Lint is an accumulation of the loose fibers that are stuck to your clothes after you wash them. As the clothing dries, these loose fibers separate from the drying clothing, at which point they follow the warm air that is flowing through the lint trap and out of the dryer vent. Most of the lint fibers will be caught in the lint trap – which could be filled with a variable amount of lint depending on the clothes being dried. No matter what, you should always empty the lint trap, even with smaller loads of laundry. This is because the longer you leave lint in the trap, the more constricted the airflow is, which leads to dryer heating up more than it should. (Possibly frying your clothes)
Why is this dangerous?
Not cleaning out your lint trap could result in fire hazards. As I mentioned above, coupling a heavily filled lint trap with several dryer loads could result in an unwanted fire. Dryers are incredibly safe devices, it is just if too many loads go unwatched, and they are left to dry for too long, clothing could easily catch on fire, which would catch your overfilled lint trap on fire, and the rest is history.
You may still be wondering how lint effects this. Since lint is made up of several hundred small fibers, that constantly has heated air moving throughout its porous-like state, a mixture of oxygen and heat is formed. (The perfect ingredients for a fire) Add to that the friction being caused by your clothing being tumble dried, then you have the perfect recipe for fire starter. This is because the cloth-drying process causes friction inside of the dryer – friction can cause sparks to form and fly – and said sparks can set your lint on fire.
How can I prevent these problems?
Now that we have talked about what could happen, how about we go over what you can do to prevent such a situation? The easiest thing you could possibly do is to keep your lint trap cleaned out after every dryer usage. Removing a potential hazard, will solve a problem later. You also need to clean out your dryer vent monthly. (Access to the dryer vent and tube is found on the outside of your home) This can easily be done with a vacuum cleaner with a hose and crevice tool.
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