PSA: dryer lint

A few weeks ago at work, the fire department sent a link to a fire-safety survey. In it I learned that laundry dryers cause about 40 fires every day; because of that, you're not supposed to leave your dryer running when you're not home. As I do this all the time—toss a load into the dryer before leaving to run errands or whatever—I was mildly dismayed. And I'm already sort of obsessive about cleaning out the lint trap. Maybe even a bit OCD, as I've been knowing to quadruple check it, even stopping the dryer to do so. But, as I am more terrified of a fire than determined to leave my dryer running on its lonesome, I made a resolution to try to be at home for more of my laundry-drying time.

Not a week later, my dryer started to smell weird. Not that "oh, hell, I left this load sitting in the washing machine for too long" smell. No, an entirely different one: a dry sort of burning smell. Not like a campfire, but a fire-ish smell all the same. I vacuumed out the little slot where the lint trap goes. I scrubbed the inside of my dryer. I checked the electric cord for a short; I checked the outside vent for any sign of a blockage. But the smell continued. It transferred itself onto my clothes and towels. It bugged me and made me anxious, and today, when I couldn't stand it anymore, I asked Kendell to help me.

He unscrewed the front panel from the dryer, and then we stood there for a few minutes in shock. The entire inside guts of the dryer were coated with a thick layer of lint. Coated. An inch thick in some places. Then we commenced sucking all the lint out with the vacuum.

It took us almost 30 minutes to get all that lint out. Despite my obsessive lint-trap cleaning, the inside of the dryer had enough lint to fill up my laundry-room garbage can. We had a service call on this dryer two and a half years ago, right before the warranty ran out, so all that lint had gathered in the space of just 28 months or so.

(I also put 28 pennies and one dime in Kaleb's piggy bank. After I cleaned the lint off of the coins.)

I've since run two loads through the dryer—and the smell is gone! It sort of freaks me out to think about what might have happened if we hadn't cleaned the lint out. One of those 40 dryer fires one day? Who knows.

But I do know this: I hope all of you get out your screwdriver and the nozzle attachment to your vacuum, and clean out the guts of your dryer.

Just so you're not one of those fires either.

(An added bonus: the dryer dries faster now, too!)

Comments

[Sherry]

Thanks for the PSA. This may make me seem about as smart as a sack of bricks, but could you maybe provide a photo of where to open up the dryer?

[Maureen]

don't forget to check the exhaust hose, it builds up there as well!

[michele in la]

Glad you shared your story :). As the grand-daughter of a fireman, we had so many "don't do this" mantras! A few I have slacked on, but for the most part, I am extra careful. And yes, the dryer is on the list.

Also, when I was doing research for my new dryer a few years ago, I found out that gas dryers should have a straight smooth pipe for the exhaust, not the flexible hose you can use for electric dryers. If I remember correctly, it is because the air is heated more. Needless to say, there was much grumbling, but I wouldn't budge and the exhaust was changed along w/ the dryer...