Laundry Lurkers: The Shocking Dangers Hiding in Your Dryer

Laundry is a chore that most of us complete without even really thinking about it. But before you run your next load, consider the dangers that may be lurking right under your nose.

According to the National Fire Protection Association between the years of 2014-2018, fire departments responded to an average of 13,820 house fires each year in which clothes dryers were involved. These fires caused an average of $233 million in property damage each year. One third of these dryer fires were directly caused by a failure to properly clean the appliance.

Tiny pieces of yarn and fabric make up the lint that you see when you remove the dryer lint screen. As your dryer spins the clothes and moist air flows out of the exhaust vent, lint accumulates in the dryer’s lint filter. This lint is a highly flammable substance. By design, the dryer gets warm while running, and the lint trap also heats up as well. This hot air has the potential to spark a flame, which could start a dryer fire. The risk increases as more and more lint builds up in the lint trap, the drum of the dryer itself, and the ductwork.

While it’s important to always run your dryer with the lint trap in place and to remove and clean the lint filter after each and every load, undoubtedly some lint will escape and collect in the dryer itself and in the exhaust vent leading outside. For this reason, it’s necessary to have your dryer vent cleaned every one to three years, depending on the volume of laundry done in your household as well as the total length of your dryer vent system.

It’s definitely time to look at dryer vent cleaning if your dryer is taking a longer time than usual to finish a load, your clothes are still damp at the end of a regular cycle, or when your dryer feels extremely hot to the touch when operating.

Dryer vent cleaning can be a do-it-yourself project if you are comfortable in doing so, or you can opt to have a professional vent cleaning service do this for you for a nominal fee. A professional service will also often be more than happy to offer advice on how to keep your appliance running as efficiently and safely as possible. No matter the cost or sweat equity involved, preventative maintenance is a lot easier to deal with than a house fire.

For more information on dryer fires and fire safety in general, visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website at nfpa.org.