Every New Yorker Knows: How Often Should You Clean Dryer Vents?

Have you ever cleaned out your dryer vent? Not the one that is the lint filter that you are supposed to be cleaning out every time you use your dryer, but the one that is attached to the back of the dryer and goes outside.

Hopefully your answer is not that you have never done it. What do the appliance manufacturers suggest for how often to clean it and why should you make sure that you really do take time to do it? 

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Why should you take the time to clean out your dryer vent?

You should clean out your dryer vent, and I am sharing this with you because I did not know, it is a fire hazard. Yep, there are homes that catch on fire because the dryer vent is so packed with lint, and then add more heat from the dryer, before you know it, there is smoke, and your house is on fire.

How often does the appliance manufacturers suggest you clean out the dryer vent?

According to Whirlpool and Maytag, two appliance manufacturers, they suggest that you clean this out every two years, more often if you do more laundry than once or twice a year.

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Does the Fire Department agree on this?

What will your local fire department say about cleaning out your dryer vents every two years? You will probably see their heads explode. The firefighters that I spoke with to gather research, suggested cleaning the vents out every 6 months, but no longer apart than once a year.