A better title for this post might actually be Can Your Dryer Vent? Your dryer works by using heated air that evaporates water from your wet clothes. If that moisture-rich air can’t escape from the dryer vent, it stays in the dryer and your clothes stay wet.
So what clogs up your dryer vent? In a word: lint. ENERGY STAR estimates that cleaning the lint trap before every load can improve your dryer’s efficiency so much that you’ll save $34 each year. If you don’t keep the lint trap clean, lint can sneak past the trap into the tubes that vent to the outside. And it doesn’t just hurt your dryer’s performance, it’s also highly flammable, making it a dangerous fire hazard!
So how do you clean your dryer vent? You can watch a video tutorial or read some instructions, but basically it involves first unplugging your dryer, pulling your dryer away from the wall, unscrewing the clamp that holds on the vent tubing, and reaching in with your hand and/or vacuum hose to clean it out. Once you’ve cleaned the side of the vent that’s inside, you can also go outside and remove the exterior vent faceplate to clean the lint from that side as well.
Like energy saving tips like this? We’ve got lots more in the Learning Center on FirstChoicePower.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Current for information on everything from saving electricity to helping with your laundry.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user seishin17.
