How to Clean Out a Dryer Vent
A chimney rebuild, a bathroom renovation, months of beautiful blooms and garden bounty: these home improvements and enhancements are ones that often inspire residents and guests alike to express admiration and appreciation. While cleaning out your dryer vent may not evoke such awe and excitement, this service supports the performance of an essential household appliance, ensures the safety of its operation and offers other benefits. Learn more about dryer vent and exhaust duct cleaning and its importance below!
An Overview of How Professionals Clean Out a Dryer Vent
Many homeowners regularly perform one of the crucial steps in dryer vent care: clearing out the lint traps. As explained by one appliance manufacturer, Whirlpool, clearing lint and other debris from the trap after each load helps ensure that whatever you are washing actually gets dried as it should. This guide continues by explaining the importance of cleaning the lint screens, as well as dryer vents and ducts. If these components of the ventilation system aren’t as familiar to you (and thus may never have been cleaned), then your system and home safety may benefit from having professional dryer vent cleaning. Here’s what often happens during this process:
- Generally, the cleaning process begins with an inspection of your dryer and ventilation system. This step helps reveal any lint accumulations, clogs or damage that may be impacting the system. Sometimes, video cameras and other devices are used for a comprehensive assessment of features like vents and ducts.
- After ensuring that the dryer is disconnected from power and other ventilation components, the cleaning of the dryer and venting system begins, as explained below:
- A more thorough cleaning is given to the back of the dryer and the lint trap. Instead of just clearing the trap, it may be cleaned to remove any residue from cleaning products or otherwise.
- As explained in its cleaning tutorial, Home Depot notes that brushes are often utilized to loosen the lint and other debris. Then, exhaust ducts typically need to be vacuumed out, often from both the inside of the home and the outside. Professional technicians may also use specialized tools for longer or more complex ventilation systems in order to ensure thorough cleaning.
- Cleaning often concludes with a final inspection, ensuring power and all connections are restored, and typically a performance check.
Benefits of Professional Dryer Exhaust Duct Cleaning
Dryer vents and exhaust ducts remove hot air, humidity, and lint that stem from the drying process. Although homeowners may consider DIY approaches to this work, the value of their time, the effort required, their level of expertise, and the complexity of their dryer ventilation often make a professional dryer exhaust duct cleaning service a better option. Additionally, experienced service technicians like the ones at Spotless Chimney are better able to provide peace of mind to homeowners by thoroughly ensuring the safety and performance of the complete dryer system. Below, find three key benefits of professional dryer vent and exhaust duct cleaning:
- Protection: Like routine chimney services such as chimney inspections and cleaning, dryer exhaust duct cleaning helps protect homes and loved ones from issues like mold and mildew growth and other air quality concerns, as well as fire hazards. Professional care also protects your dryer exhaust ducts and other features. These components can be damaged during cleaning or compromised by greater blockages, due to inexperience or a lack of familiarity with the process and system.
- Safe and Efficient Performance: Lint buildup poses a serious threat. Its consequences are not only higher energy use due to longer or repeated drying needs, but also fire hazards. Thorough cleaning also supports drier and cleaner-smelling clothes. Finally, especially in the case of gas dryers that have the increased risk of carbon monoxide exposure, it’s critical that vents are safely and correctly reconnected.
- Equipment Longevity: As with other appliances, forcing equipment to work in less than ideal conditions results in greater wear and tear. In addition to compromised efficiency, failure to regularly perform dryer exhaust duct cleaning may mean that homeowners are spending extra money on energy bills and repairs or will have to replace the dryer sooner.
At Spotless Chimney, we understand the importance of ventilation for multiple functions within the home, as well as the safety of both its structure and occupants. Accordingly, both our chimney and dryer vent services are designed to deliver the kind of maintenance, repairs and other services to achieve both purposes. For fireplace, dryer vent or chimney liner and flue installations and a comprehensive range of chimney services, the experienced team at Spotless Chimney is here to help. For service to a variety of locations throughout Connecticut, contact our team today! We also offer 24-hour emergency service!
