Is Your Dryer a Fire Hazard?

I have heard horror stories of fires that started in the dryer and burned down entire homes.  It's not enough to just empty the lint trap every day.

THOUSANDS of house fires are started every year because of dryers.

After every use of my dryer, I scrape the lint out of the pull-out lint-trap filter.

But that is NOT enough.

You see, you have to figure out where the REST of the lint is being whisked off to. The hot dryer air is supposed to vent through a tube to the outside world. But sometimes, especially if it has a long way to travel through the walls of your home, it can get clogged with lint that wasn't caught in the lint trap.

Recently, I had some guys over fixing some broken stuff, and as they were leaving I asked them how often I should have the dryer cleaned out professionally to make sure all is clear. They looked over at my washer/dryer unit and said there probably wasn't a problem because it's right up against a wall that vents directly outside, so there's not a maze through the whole house that the air has to travel to.

But, nice guys that they are, they checked the outside vent anyway, and did find some lint that had made it's way to the opening and was stuck there.

Oo...if it's been years since you thought about having that duct system from your dryer to the outside world cleaned out, you should hire someone to do it. It's not that expensive.

At the very least, you should find where the vent exits your home, and, while the dryer is running, check to see that the flap is going and air is coming out. And reach in to make sure no lint is blocking the exit!

Disclaimer: I am no professional and the above words are mine alone, so they may not be totally accurate, but as a woman who lives in a home and doesn't EVER want a FIRE to start....this should at least be warning enough to find a professional to explain this to you and check out your dryer!

CLICK HERE to see what National Fire Protection Association says.