One of the most common causes of house fires is the dryer vent being clogged and catching fire. We aren’t just talking about pulling the vent out of the dryer and cleaning it each time (that is super important, do that, for sure). This article will outline the steps you need to complete in order to clear the entire vent of debris.
First, take the filter out of the dryer and clean it thoroughly with warm soap and water. When the filter is out make sure you are looking into the vent for lint, hair and debris. Clean that out as best as you can and even purchase hose attachments for vacuums to suck up what is too deep to reach. Your Eckler Cleaners can help you with this if you ask.
After unplugging the dryer from its electronic source, carefully remove it from the wall so you can clean the vent that leads to the outside. Clean out any lingering lint and take your vacuum to the vent as well.
Now comes the fun part. Check the outside of your house for the vent access and get your handy ladder. Carefully climb up and remove the vent to the outside. You can wash that with warm soapy water to get it shining like new. This is where you might want to call a professional because properly getting the debris out of the vent will require a specific vacuum. Getting the hair and lint out of the vent to prevent a fire is removing all of that very flammable material.
Jason Peterson, owner and operator of Bulldog Home Comfort in Plainfield, Indiana says, “Hiring a C-Det certified professional will not only ensure it is cleaned properly, but they will have the training and knowledge to make sure everything is up to current code for the safest venting solutions. You can find other certified technicians in your area by going to CSIA.org.”
He did some work for a mutual customer, Jeni Coffey, and she was happy to see he removed a bird’s nest from her vent. “Jason was able to quickly fit us into his schedule. He not only fixed the problem, but her also repaired the vent so we wouldn’t have the problem again. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone.”
Cleaning vents should be completed every three to six months, depending on how much laundry you are doing. Cleaning the filter is a task that should be completed every time you change clothes over. It is so important to do this small task to prevent unnecessary loss in a fire. Eckler Cleaning does vacuum out the filter and vent upon request, but if you’re doing laundry more frequently, you need to make sure you keep up with this task.
Written by: Jessica Cob
Edited by: Maggie Eckler
Photography by: Jeni Coffey
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