As we all make our preparations for Thanksgiving and then Christmas, I wanted to remind you my friends, to please check something you may not have thought of. I know we are all busy and don't need to do one more thing!
We have noticed over the last couple of months that our clothes were not getting dry during just one cycle in the dryer. So we would often let them go for another cycle. My dryer is not that old. Well, I don't think eight years is that old.
Grayden said he felt he was being urged to do something about this issue. We always clean the lint filter after each drying cycle. We also will occasionally use a special brush made to go into the filter basket for further cleaning. Our dryer is in the laundry room in our basement. The dryer is vented to the outside through the normal dryer venting system.
Grayden decided to check the vent on the outside. Well, lo and behold, he was able to get out an enormous amount of lint. At first he was able to get a small amount, but then came up with this pile of lint. We were beyond shocked! We know the venting was clean when we put this dryer in place. I'm sure you are aware of problems with lint catching on fire in dryer vents. There are fires every year that are started this way. With this amount of lint a fire could have easily started! We are so thankful that Grayden was listening to that small voice that speaks. Sometimes we listen and sometimes we don't.
Please ladies and gentlemen, make sure your dryer vent is clear all the way to the outside. If you can't do it yourself, there are businesses that can do it for you. In some areas, local firemen do this job on the side. It is worth the life of you and your family. According to FEMA there are 29,000 dryer vent fires every year in the United States, resulting in deaths, and 35 million dollars of property damage. Most dryer vent fires are in the fall and winter, peaking in January. It is recommended that you clean out the dryer venting system every three months! Grayden, please add that to your list! ♥
This is a great PSA announcement to bring awareness to the issue of checking the dryer vent to make sure it's clear!
ReplyDeletePilar, we try to pay attention to safety issues around our home, but this was a major slip. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. ♥
DeleteGood reminder, Martha Ellen. We do everything you do, but I don't know if Ken goes outside and checks that part. We'll do it tomorrow! Also, everyone who lives where it freezes, turn off the water to the outside faucets and drain them! And bring in clay pots. They will crack if left out in freezing temps.
ReplyDeleteCathy, as the vent pipe goes through our brick wall it makes a 90 degree angle and goes down to the basement. This where Grayden found a lot of lint and even more on down the pipe behind the laundry room wall.
DeleteThank you for your other reminders as well. ♥
Thank you for the PSA. I agree that this is an issue that needs addressing yearly. Just changed my furnace filter yesterday so I will check on the dryer hose next!
ReplyDeleteVee, we were so surprised! I don't think we'll let this slip again. Have a nice evening. ♥
DeleteA very good reminder ... thank you.
ReplyDeleteI did also like your first picture too,those owls are so cute!
All the best Jan
Jan, I bought those little owl salt and pepper shakers last year at Wal-Mart. They were by Better Homes and Gardens. I hope you enjoy your evening. ♥
DeleteSomething I always worry about!
ReplyDeleteOur dryer vent is rather long, and we just recently had it replaced with stronger aluminium pipe.
I feel better, but will continue to check!
I can go right outside and our my hand under the vent hood to check the air flow.
You would be surprised how often I do that!
Thanks for sharing!
Billie Jo, you were wise to have aluminum pipe installed. We have the same, but obviously they can still become clogged. Cleaning it out every three months is going to happen here from now on.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your family. ♥
A useful tip! Thanks for sharing. I'm on it :-)
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Amalia, I'm glad you are going to check your dryer vent. xo ♥
DeleteMy goodness! I have a condenser tumble dryer and am now wondering if I should be checking nooks and crannies within the appliance as it does not vent to the outside as yours.
ReplyDeleteWell, you have plenty of lint there to make any of the plethora of 'crafts' created using dryer lint {ugh, I know, but true!}
~~~Deb xoxo
Deb, I'm not familiar with a condenser dryer. I would think they would have to be cleaned somehow. The lint you see will be used to start fires in our chiminea--yes lint is a great fire starter--Oh my! xoxo ♥
DeleteA condenser dryer collects the moister into a reservoir which has to be emptied manually. Yours is a vented dryer. I still have to empty a lint filter which is inside the door.
DeleteYou know I have a rotating chore list. I have added this and will check my vent today to start it off.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this. <3
Yes, please do, Noel. We were so shocked at this! ♥
DeleteWow that's scary. I didn't know so many fires were caused from a blocked dryer vent. I'll have Dan check ours ASAP!
ReplyDeleteLiz, it is so scary. I'm so thankful that Grayden checked ours and found what was a potential problem. ♥
DeleteThis is one reason I have started using wool balls in my dryer. I no longer use dryer sheets, due to chemicals used in them. Your drying time is much shorter. Thanks so much for this tip. Will add it to our monthly checks!
ReplyDeleteHi Belinda, I don't use dryer sheets or any kind of fabric softener. The reason my dryer wasn't drying the clothes was because of the blockage of lint in the venting system that goes outside.
DeleteThank you so much for stopping by today. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. ♥
Good reminder--I clean mine every 3 months, but I also don't use dryer sheets. I've found the wool balls you can get keep the static off your clothes. Happy Thanksgiving, my friend, XOXO
ReplyDeleteHi Susan, I've never been a fan of dryer sheets or fabric softener. The lint you see came from our clothes! I used to have a friend that said dryers eat our clothes---maybe so.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your family, dear one. XOXO ♥
That is a good warning for everyone, Martha Ellen. Lint fires start that way all the time. We had one house that had a long run that would build up, too. In this house I am vented directly outside with only about 3 or 4 feet of hose. However, there is NOTHING in the world like the smell of sheets that are dried on the line. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI adore sheets that have hung outside, Diana. I made up the bed in the guest room today and the sheets I used definitely came from those that were hung on the line. The best fragrance in the world! xo ♥
DeleteWell that was a very useful PSA! I'm so glad your lint buildup didn't result in a fire. How scary to see all that lint! I'll have to check our outside vent tomorrow - when there's daylight and I hope no snow. :-)
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful Thanksgiving, Martha Ellen.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family, Judy! I hope snow will wait a while to visit you. ♥
DeleteThanks for the info. on dryer lents, Martha Ellen. That's great of Grayden to check this out. Wow, look at all that lent! I will definitely look into my own dryer. Funny that you mention this, as my washer just broke down yesterday and had to buy a new one. So thankful it was delivered already. The things we take for granted.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, my dear.
~Sheri
Sheri, we were so shocked by this I felt I needed to share this with my friends. It's not a pretty post, but a fire is deadly.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your family. ♥
Thank you for your PSA, Martha Ellen!! With the drier in our new house down in the basement, this is something that I need to be aware of. I shared your photo with Ron. Wow!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your dear family!!
Cheryl, it was so scary to find this situation. We will be more diligent in the future tending to the vent pipe.
DeleteHave a wonderful time with your family this Thankgiving, my friend. ♥
Hi Dearest Martha Ellen,
ReplyDeleteThis was very wise and good post!! Thanks for sharing and God is good and so is Grayden for listening :-)
Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!
Sending Love Warmth and many BLESSINGS Dear one XX OO
Thank you, dear Linnie. I thought I should share this important information with my friends. If it happened to us, it could happen to my friends. God speaks to us in many ways and I'm so thankful that Grayden was listening.
DeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and your family, my friend. xoxo ♥
Thank you, Mary Ellen. Very good advice. My husband cleaned ours out a couple years ago but I know it's time to do again. He made up something with wire and a pole and ran it through and boy did the lint pour out. Thank you for reminding us of this potential danger! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteBarbara, your husband sounds like mine. Grayden rigged up something as well to clean out the vent pipe. FEMA recommends we clean the vent pipe every three months! Thank you for visiting and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. ♥
DeleteOh my goodness! Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I had no idea that this was even possible. I am going to have my husband take a peek at our dryer vent. Now I am curious about it, too! Happy almost-Thanksgiving my friend! xx
ReplyDeleteRosinda, please have your husband check the vent pipe that goes to the outdoors! We were so shocked to see the amount of lint that had almost blocked it. Enjoy your evening, my friend. ♥
DeletePS I do hope you are going to have another Thanksgiving at your home. I always love that you do that with your American friends! xoxo
This is something I think of weekly, now that I think of it, I guess it is a fear of mine. although I wash early,I can not and will not sleep if I have something in the dryer. and with two teens I often at night I sometimes hear a "mommm can you wash this please" I check and clean the lint each time and check to feel flow outside but I Never have tried to clean out the outside vent. :::blush::: I leave the outside for my hubby but you can make sure we will be discussing this and a vent brush will be purchased and kept outside. Thank you so much for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRow, I'm happy to hear you are diligent about the dryer. It was so scary to find the amount of lint in the vent. I hope your husband will check your outside vent real soon. ♥
Deletegreat tip. Who would have thought? Sometimes the simple things we can do makes things so much safer.
ReplyDeleteLinda, it was quite a surprise to us so I felt I should share this information. ♥
DeleteWOW, what a mess! And thanks for the heads-up. You can be sure many of your readers will be checking vents.
ReplyDeleteJeri, my dryer works perfectly now! I hope you are no where near those terrible fires, my friend. ♥
DeleteMartha Ellen my son-in-law is a vent cleaner for forced air heating systems, and he also cleans dryer vents. Not only does he clean out a lot of lint from dryers, but often homeowners vents and returns are filled to the brim with dust, hair, leaves, spider webs and even dead insects and mice...ick! It really is worth having the vents and returns cleaned every 5 years or so so the air one breathes in is clean.
ReplyDeletePat, we have lived in our home for 43 years and we've never had the vents and returns cleaned. It's one of those things that we have put last on the list of things to have done. After hearing from you, maybe we should put it to the top of the list! Have a lovely day. ♥
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