Is Your Dryer Vent A Fire Hazard?

Heavy knit and wool sweaters are necessary for Canadians to enjoy the frigid winter season, but could they also create a dangerous situation in your home? When thrown into a dryer, these items along with the rest of your laundry shed bits of lint that are caught by a lint trap. But some of the fluff gets pulled into the exhaust vent where it can get stuck, building up over months or years. The accumulation of dry lint plus the heat generated from the dryer creates an unfortunate recipe for house fires. Dryer vent cleaning services prevent fires by removing lint buildup from your dryer and ducts. As an added bonus, clean vents make your dryer function more efficiently, saving you time and money!

When To Clean Your Dryer Vents

Regular maintenance is essential to keep your dryer performing optimally. Your dryer vents, at a minimum, should be cleaned once per year. If you have a family that uses the dryer regularly, consider having it serviced twice a year, Spring and Fall.

If you notice that your once fantastic dryer now takes 2-3 cycles to dry your clothes, it might not be the dryer’s fault. The culprit is probably a buildup of lint in the ducts, preventing water from escaping the machine. Time to have it cleaned!

Other tell-tale signs of when to clean your dryer vent are when:

  • Your lint trap (that you should be cleaning after every single load) starts collecting an unusually large amount of fluff.
  • A musty odour comes off your clothes after a drying cycle.
  • You notice excessive heat in your laundry room when the dryer is on, or from your clothes after a cycle.

If you can’t remember the last time you had your dryer vent cleaned, or if you’ve never had it done, it’s time to have this service performed.

Vancouver sees about 18 dryer fires a year, most of them during the winter time. Take proactive measures to protect your home by having your dryer vents cleaned by the professionals at IMAGINE services. Give us a call at 888-835-0008 and we can provide you with a free quote and schedule a visit. Our friendly staff will make sure to clean every nook and cranny of your dryer ducts so you can get back to enjoying the beautiful winter weather.