We may only come to clean out your dryer vents once a year, but in between cleanings there is plenty you can to keep your dryer and vents maintained. And, good news, these things are simple to do and don’t take up a lot of your time! The even better news is that doing the following will help us do our job quicker when we drop by for your annual cleaning and will improve the performance of your dryer all around. So, how can you better maintain your dryer?
For starters, clean the lint trap each and every time you use the dryer! Yes, if we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times, but it bears repeating. This is one of the best ways to help keep your dryer working as it should. And don’t forget to clean the lint trap with soap, water, and a brush every once in a while, too!
The next thing you can do to maintain your dryer is to balance. Remember the laundromat days where there was always that one dryer that rocked back and forth while it ran? That was an unbalanced dryer and being off balance can cause dryer parts to wear out before they should. Fixing an unbalanced dryer is easy, though; many dryers these days have “leveling feet” that are adjustable. And if yours doesn’t, you can balance it the old-fashioned way with some wood blocks!
This is a simple one, but people forget about it quite a bit—don’t overload the dryer! We know how tempting it can be to try and cram just a few more items into the dryer so things are done quicker, but doing this is extremely unhelpful. Putting more things in the dryer than it can really hold can cause your dryer to breakdown. Plus, doing this doesn’t dry your clothes faster, as clothes dry via the circulation of hot air in the dryer and if the dryer is so stuffed air can’t circulate, clothing takes longer to dry.
Another helpful hint for maintain your dyer? Switching to liquid fabric softener. This might seem like an odd tip, but using fabric softener can a) keep lint off your clothing and b) removes the use of dryer sheets (and dryer sheets can leave residue in your dryer that attracts debris, grease, and lint, all of which can clog filters and vents).
Finally, remember to clean inside your dryer! Once a month or so, unplug the dryer, then wipe down the inside of it with either a vinegar and water mix or a mild cleaner. This will help prevent the build-up of dirt inside, which will help keep drying time to a minimum.
Taking just a few minutes once in a while can help keep your dryer running smoothly and will save you time and money in the long run. Plus, it helps us out when we come do our job, so we can get in and out quicker. It’s a win-win for all!
We're the experts for professional Massapequa dryer vent cleaning and repair, after all! Give us a call so Dryer Vent Wizard of Massapequa can help you save energy, time, and money. Some of the towns we service include Rockville Centre NY, Oceanside NY, Lynbrook NY, Hewlett NY, Cedarhurst NY, and many others!