Whether you choose to hire a professional dryer vent company to inspect and clean your dryer vents, or decide to tackle it yourself, here are the answers to 5 commonly asked questions:

1. How often do dryer vents need to be cleaned?

All dryer vents should be cleaned at least once a year, and while this might seem a little extravagant, it could significantly reduce the risk of a house fire. Having your dryer vents regularly cleaned will remove any harmful lint and debris that could cause a blockage, and will keep your dryer in excellent working condition, for longer.

2. How long does it take to clean a dryer vent professionally?

Most dryer vents can be cleaned thoroughly within an hour, although the location of the vent, its length and level of dirtiness, are all factors that can impact this timeframe.

3. Is it possible to clean a dryer vent yourself?

While it can certainly be done, it isn’t always recommended, not least because you should also be able to inspect the dryer itself, the vent, and the exterior cap. You should have an anemometer to read the airflow, and be aware ofwhich materials should be used for the dryer vent and which materials shouldn’t (because they don’t meet the code). Also, you should check for a disconnected vent in the wall and/or punctures in the vent.

Cleaning your dryer vent is possible if you know what you’re doing and have a DIY kit purchased from a retail store. With all of this in mind, most people find it easier and safer to simply hire a professional dryer vent cleaning service.

4. Why are my clothes taking so long to dry?

Having to run clothes through a dryer cycle more than once usually indicates that the dryer vent is clogged with lint and debris. Excess cycles don’t just cause your utilities to spike, but can decrease the lifespan of the dryer, too.

When you call a dryer vent technician out to assess the machine, they will read the velocity of air coming out of the dryer with an anemometer, to determine the level of restriction in the airflow. A low reading is usually the cause of having to run multiple cycles to dry your clothes, and once the dryer vent has been cleaned, your clothes should dry in one cycle again.

5. What is the cost of having dryer vents professionally cleaned?

While the location of the dryer vent (being inside or outside and at what height) affects the cost of a cleaning session from a dryer vent technician, how dirty your vents are, does not. That said, what price can you put on your safety and that of everyone else living in your home?

Dryer vent cleaning is best left to the professionals; at least that way you know that all of the lint and debris will be safely removed and that the risk of a housefire being caused by dirty dryer vents, will be virtually eliminated.