HOUSTON – Upkeep on your possessions is sometimes a daunting task -- okay, sometimes, it’s a crippling thing that you think about at 5 a.m., wishing you could go to sleep again, and then promptly forget about after you finally do drift off again.
But there is something you should definitely not forget about doing because your home could burn up if you’re not doing this upkeep -- on your clothes dryer.
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How do I know this? Because my neighbor just showed us what happened to her laundry room when lint caught fire inside her dryer.
Kimberly Gutowsky, of Sugar Land, shared a PSA to her neighbors, saying on Facebook: “Don’t run your dryer when you aren’t home. I was standing next to ours when it started smoking. We clean the duct, also. I’ve always heard this but blew it off as silly. Learn from us. It could’ve been so much worse. All is well, aside from smelling like a campfire in our house. Edited to add. The lint fire was inside under the drum. We can only lift it off slightly, but apparently you’re supposed to get this cleaned out every two years. I had no idea.”
And she’s not alone in having a fire. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, an entity of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency, there are 2,900 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year and cause an estimated five deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss.
So how can you handle this issue -- or have someone do it for you -- so you’re not up at 5 a.m. (like us) wondering when our house is going to burn down because you haven’t cleaned ANYTHING on your dryer since you moved in? (I’m not projecting here at all, but I really am.)
We’re here to give you the resources you need to tackle it yourself AND to offer places that do this work for you in the Houston area. Get ready, y’all. Here’s a DIY that you need to know.
Do it yourself
Long story short -- you’re basically cleaning out the pipe behind your dryer and the attachment areas where the pipe meets the dryer and the pipe meets the wall.
Okay, so let’s start with Whirlpool. The laundry appliance giants have things to say about this upkeep on their products. They have some guides on what you need to do with your dryer. There’s this one with a bit of surface information on cleaning vents and an allusion to dryer lint inside the machine, and then there’s this one for when you REALLY want to get into the nitty gritty of cleaning the crap out of your dryer. Here are those steps:
“Step 1: Locate the dryer’s exhaust vent
On the back of your dryer, you will find the unit’s ventilation hose. The hose then leads to the exhaust vent, which will typically be located outside your home.
Step 2: Unplug the power supply cord
Before proceeding in cleaning your dryer vent or moving the unit away from the wall, be sure to unplug your dryer’s power supply cord. If your dryer is a gas model, close the shut-off valve in the gas supply line, then disconnect and cap the supply line pipe.
Step 3: Pull your dryer away from the wall
With the help of another person, carefully move the dryer about one foot away from the wall. This will provide enough space behind the unit for you to access the ventilation system and clear out debris.
Step 4: Remove tape or clamps
Once the dryer has been moved, remove any tape or clamps attaching the ventilation hose to the vent on the back of the unit. In some cases a screwdriver may be required to complete this step.
Step 5: Clean the interior vent
Gently clean your dryer’s ventilation hose by using your dryer cleaning brush to swab debris from both ends of the pipe. If you have access to a vacuum with a hose, you may use it to further remove any dust or lint caught in hard to reach places.
Step 6: Clean the exterior vent
For this step, you’ll have to go outside to locate the vent. Remove the vent cover from the exterior of your home. Using your dryer cleaning brush, wipe away dust from the ductwork and use a vacuum with a hose to clear out any remaining debris. Replace the vent cover when complete.
Step 7: Reconnect the dryer
After cleaning up any remaining lint or debris, reconnect the ventilation pipe to the back of your unit. Once secure, plug in the power supply and turn the gas valve back on, if applicable.
Step 8: Run an empty cycle
With the help of another person, slide the unit back into place and run an empty dryer cycle for 10-15 minutes. This will help ensure that all residual dust gets blown out of the system and that the dryer vent is clean.”
Cleaning your vent duct...if you need videos and pictures
I work at a TV station for a reason. I like visuals. After searching, I found I really liked this tutorial from Ace Hardware.
Coming from a hardware store, you might expect a ton of tools to be used, but it shows a pretty low-key way using a brush and heavy-duty vacuum for cleaning out the duct work connected to your dryer. It also mentions a safety alarm you can purchase and attach to your dryer that says it “detects insufficient air flow inside the dryer and dryer exhaust ducts, caused by this excessive lint build-up. If your air flow performance drops below a safe level, the Dryer Lint Alarm will send out a warning signal alerting you to a problem that needs your attention.”
Automate things with “MORE POWER!”
Okay, I watched a little too much “Home Improvement” growing up, but if you want to automate the process a little bit more with TOOLS, there are also kits that will do suction and brushing inside your ductwork to clean the inside of the pipes and ductwork. Here’s one product, but there are MANY available that work in the same way. This one has an attachment for attaching your wet-dry vacuum to suction and brush -- with a drill -- at the same time. Just be sure to watch a tutorial like this before you start (you could lose a brush extension piece down your vent if you’re not careful with your drill.)
But is this enough?
In the case of our friend Gutowsky, it doesn’t seem like it was. She said the issue with hers was UNDER the drum. That’s beyond the scope of the vent duct. It’s actually in the mechanisms of the dryer.
If you’re like me, you don’t want to be ripping apart a dryer piece by piece. It’s expert time. I called Appliance Cowboys in Houston to see how this works and what it’ll set you back, as of this writing. Marco Ramos, the owner, told me that a standard maintenance rate for this is $169 for a worker to take the machine apart, clean it and lubricate parts. That service can cost up to $249 for some cases that involve taking the machine apart and cleaning the vent and the ducts, depending on what the machine and home needs. Ramos said his company has a camera that can be put inside the dryer to check the situation inside it.
So -- how often should you be doing this?
Ramos said people should do this once a year. “Really?” I asked. “Yes,” he said.
Gulp. Maybe I should get on this now...Though I do take the advice of people who charge me money with a grain of salt, it does sound like a good idea to have this done at some point and the vent cleaning rather often.
The appliance companies suggest lint cleanouts at least once every two years. The U.S. Fire Administration suggests cleaning lint filters every time you use the dryer and cleaning your dryer vent ductwork every year.
Also, be sure to avoid running your dryer while you’re sleeping or away from your home.