How Lint Traps Become Clogged and Why You Should Keep Them Clean

March 4, 2021 Published by Leave your thoughts

Have you noticed it’s taking longer than usual to dry your clothes in Cleveland, TX? Perhaps you’ve seen more lint and debris building up around the lint filter on the dryer, or around the outdoor dryer vent opening. Over time, you can expect your lint traps and dryer vents to become clogged up if you don’t take the necessary maintenance steps to clear them.

This can be very problematic if left unresolved, going far beyond the nuisance of having to deal with longer cleaning times. If lint builds up to a significant degree, it could become a fire hazard. Therefore, you should make sure you’re doing everything possible to keep those lint traps and vents clean. Read on to learn how lint traps in Cleveland, TX become clogged and what to do about the problem.

Checking the filter

The easiest dryer maintenance step you can take is checking the dryer filter. You should do this after every use. Remove the lint trap and clear it out, throwing that lint into the garbage. If you want to test the effectiveness of your filter, you can drop a small amount of water on to the filter screen. If you have water pooling up instead of passing through, you should wash the screen in warm, soapy water and clean it with a brush. After rinsing and drying, you should repeat the test and the entire process until water flows through.

Check the drum

The dryer drum typically doesn’t need to be cleaned, unless you’ve been drying particularly dirty clothes or items covered in pet hair. You should try to get rid of the hair and excess dirt before putting those items in the dryer, but it’s not always possible.

In some circumstances you might accidentally have some items like crayons, pens, lipstick or gum go through the washer and dryer. If this happens, warm up the dryer for a bit with a few old rags, then remove the excess material with a rubber spatula. Wipe the remaining residue with a cloth dampened in hot water and laundry detergent, then clean up with a dry cloth. This should be an effective solution.

Checking the vents

You should carefully inspect and clean out your dryer exhaust vent once a year, or more often if you do a lot of laundry. This is because dryer vents will accumulate lint as well, and one of the most common causes of dryer fires in the United States is a failure to clean lint out of those vents. If it’s taking multiple cycles for you to dry out loads of towels, or if you’ve noticed the external cabinet or control area on the dryer being hotter than usual, these are signs that you’re dealing with clogged vents and should prioritize inspection and cleaning as soon as possible.

For more information about the steps you can take to keep your dryer vents, drum and filter all clean and lint free to avoid potential fire hazards, contact Cleveland Septic about our lint trap blockage clearing services in Cleveland, TX. We’ll be happy to answer your questions.

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