Dryer Maintenance 101

12/6/2021 (Permalink)

Cleaning your dryer regularly may help you avoid a potential lint fire.

Dryer Maintenance Tips

Around 2,900 dryer fires occur each year including incidents in Prescott, WI. If you’re concerned about protecting your home, proper dryer maintenance is one important step toward lint fire prevention. Here are some maintenance tips you may want to know about.

1. Observe Dryer Safety

One way to avoid a dryer fire is to observe dryer use safety recommendations. These include things like not overloading your dryer, not letting it run without someone in the house, and ensuring that it’s off before you head to bed. It’s also important to never put flammable materials inside the dryer. These include rags or clothing that may have come into contacts with substances such as grease, alcohol, paint, or gasoline. Items containing rubber such as potholders, bathmats, or footwear will come with washing instructions that should be observed as well.

2. Clean Your Dryer Regularly

Cleaning your dryer regularly may help you avoid a potential lint fire. It’s easy to remove the lint from the lint screen after each use, but your dryer should be deep cleaned at least once a year. Depending on your dryer use frequency you may want to clean it as soon as every three month. After unplugging the dryer, you can vacuum out the lint trap, clean the exhaust hose and exterior vents, and in most cases remove the back panel to clean out any accumulated lint inside the machine.

3. If Issues Persist, Contact a Professional.

If you’re experiencing problems with your dryer it’s best to contact a professional to service the machine. If you do experience a dryer fire, then a fire damage restoration professional may be able to conduct repairs and restore your home to its pre-fire state.

Proper dryer maintenance may help prevent a lint fire in your home. Always observe the manufacturer's instructions when drying items and avoid leaving a running dryer unattended. If your dryer is malfunctioning it’s best to contact a professional for repairs.