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I recently overhauled a dryer we have had for about 20 years (due to frayed belt).

I removed about a chihuahua’s-equivalent of old lint from around where the blower is.

I second this message.

I did the the drill brush kit on Amazon, and man a TON of lint came out, it must have been 10 years.

Working in insurance, is a more common claim than you think! These are the types of claims that raise rates too, cuz it can be considered neglect.

A friend burned his entire house down by not checking his dryer vents. And, when he found out that's what caused it... I still don't think he's over it.

discovered dryer on fire

this kind of dr suess would have really prepared kids for the real world

Even if things are dire, make sure to check that wire, you wouldn't want your dryer, to start a horrible house fire. No Sam I am, I am no liar. You wouldn't want that, else you'd never find a buyer!

can i copy and paste this onto a sign for my house or something

Haha absolutely. It was really your idea in the first place :)

The vent is meant to be cleaned after each load. That's why it's right there at the front. Having clean vents also makes your dryer more efficient and takes less time to dry

This is talking about the external vent on the outside of your house.

I would have thought the dryer would become noticeably inefficient and unable to dry well from the clogged vent long before it became a literal fire hazard.

You people have houses ?

Great tip, OP! I use an electric leaf blower to blow out my vent a couple times a year 😊

Also be aware (in the US) that your 240-volt circuit breaker may be in a different spot than your normal circuit breaker. Mine is outside by the electric meter.

Throw in there getting your chimney cleaned if you EVER are going burn a fire in there. As it starts getting cold every year I run more and more chimney fires. Another spike right around Christmas from those who don't need it for heat but wanted the atmosphere.

That's why I use condenser washer-dryers that exhaust through the water drain.

They don't ever get "dry", only the clothes. And though they have a filter, it's in a water drain pipe, so it's never dry. Even the rubber-seals that hold onto every piece of sock-fluff, they are wet at the end of the cycle even if the top of the seal is dry, the clothes dry and hot, and the metal drum hot-to-the-touch.

I looked at "normal" dryers that have those huge air-vents that clog with inches of dry lint in hot air and said "Nope".

Condenser washer-dryers is the way to go. One pipe with water in, one pipe with water + waste out. No vents, no dry air, no dry lint filters, nowhere for lint to collect and heat up.

Also appliances like fridges and freezers where dust gathers at the rear around the condenser coils need to be cleaned occasionally. Don’t forget to turn the appliance off before doing so. A quick vacuum cleaner job should be enough.

Parents had a tumble dryer fire 10 years ago- was in the house at the time. Not fun and lost somethings, but took a year to get sorted

What if I want the fire due to insurance reasons

Suppose you live upstairs in an apartment and they never clean the dryer vents?

I have my chimney sweep do my dryer vents once a year the same as my chimney. Also if you have a fireplace and you use it. Get it inspected and swept once a year. Another very common cause of house fires. And insurance will fight you if they find out you haven't kept up on cleaning

That’s frightening, now I don’t want to use mine 😳

I used a trombone cleaner to snake out all that nasty lint.

This post reminded me to check my dryer vent today and it definitely needed some attention.

Years ago our dryer was running too hot and it started to smell a little. So I took the dryer apart, cleaned everything inside.

Disconnected the hose behind it and found a dead bird inside the hose.

Went outside to check the vent hole on the side of the house and found a bird nest with bird eggs in them.

Can you elaborate a little? I see the drill brush kit, but where are you using it on the dryer?

A real lpt finally, had no idea this could happen

Good luck

Look at this guy he has a chimney sweep.. must be nice being rich.

Did the drill brush routine just this morning

video I found, hope it helps!

I definitely recommend submitting a maintenance request to get your apartments exhaust pipe cleaned, and start requesting it at least once a year

You use it on the ducting, maybe search for dryer brush drill kit. They also have drill brushes for scrubbing that come in super handy too for cleaning.

No, it went from doing fine to being on fire. Thankfully it stopped because back then I had no idea how to handle that! Towels smelled burned too, awful.

Who is 'they'? Ask them! Or call the fire department about your concern.

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Far from it. I just know some guys in the industry

One of my friends works at an insurance company for fancy people and told me that as a result of her work, she never leaves the washer or dryer running when she leaves the house. They're responsible for so many claims.

Cleaning my vent literally halved the time it took my dryer to work on a load of clothes

Thank you!

Thank you!