Birds are beautiful when soaring majestically through the air or cute when they're twittering conversations in your front yard, but it's an entirely different story when they decide to take up residence in your home. Then they're dirty, annoying and - if they're in your vents - dangerous. Here's what you need to know about birds in vents.
Why are there birds in your dryer vents anyway? Given their location off the ground away from predators and their protection from the elements, vents are attractive places for birds to build nests. Plus, the warmth from dryer vents helps to incubate eggs - it's kind of win/win for the birds! Not so much for YOU, however.
Birds bring with them (besides inconvenience) bird mites, which are teensy little bugs that survive off the blood of momma, poppa, and baby birds. When the birds leave their nests or the mite population grows out of hand though, watch out, because the little blood-suckers will then move into your area looking for a tasty snack. And while they can't survive on humans very long, they still cause skin irritation and discomfort. (Also, just EW). They also create fire hazards (didn't think we were going to leave that out, did you?). Large, messy nests full of twigs & grass in a heated and enclosed space is a disaster waiting to happen. Then, there's the matter of you breathing in allergens from said twigs & grass. Add bird droppings to the mix and you're looking at bad odors and unhealthy air.
So...what should do if you discover you have a bird's nest or birds themselves in your dryer vents (and you'll know either by the noises they make or the bad smell coming from the vent)? If it's a case of live birds, it's best to call the professionals, aka "critter control", so they can remove the little guys safely and humanely. If the birds have flown the coop, however, then you need to clean that dryer vent out (again, best to leave things to the professionals as we're equipped to remove every last speck of bird habitat left behind).
We're the experts for professional NY Metro Dryer Vent Cleaning & repair! Give us a call so NY Metro Dryer Vent Wizard can help you save energy, time, and money. Some of the towns we service include Nanuet NY, Goshen NY, Newburg NY, New City NY, Middletown NY, and the surrounding NY Metro areas!
