Clothes Dryers are a luxury that we cannot live without and when the clothes come out too damp, it can irritate even the best of us.

We count on our dryers 52 weeks of the year.

Here are some quick tips to extend the life of your clothes dryer and save energy.

• Avoid kinking the exhaust vent behind dryer. Besides making it harder for the dryer to dry your clothes, you may need a replacement dryer vent quicker. If your dryer is very close to the wall, try a Dryer Vent Periscope. A periscope is designed to allow close placement of the dryer to the wall. Metal clamps on a dryer vent periscope make installation easy with common household tools.
• The shorter the better (as far as vents go). Exhaust ducting should be of a metalized semi rigid/flexible material. Do not use vinyl as it can be easily smashed. Vinyl will not withstand heat as well as metalized ducting.
• Check your outside vent hood for clogs and dirts. Make sure that you clean it regularily if necessary. Don't use mesh wire or grates to cover the vent hood unless you are willing to clean the grates out regularily. Grates will definitely help keep rodents or birds out of your exhaust but can easily cause clogging. Lint always makes it through the dryer's lint screen and can clog the grate.
• The best dryer vent hood has a flapper that opens when the clothes dryer is in use and closes when off. Check the proper operation of the flapper on a regular basis.
• Clean the lint screen between loads (we have all heard this one before). Featured: Upper & lower air duct assembly with lint screen
• Do not overload dryer and do not underload the dryer. Too many clothes will inhibit proper circulation of heated air between the garments. On the other hand, too few clothes in the clothes dryer can create a similar problem by bunching and not allowing proper air flow through the clothes. Proper air flow will make for a faster dry time.
• In winter months, dryers located in a heated area of the home will dry more quickly than in a basement or non-heated utility room. This may not be something you can control, though.
• Drying loads sequentially will reduce overall dry time by using the heat retained by the dryer from previous loads. So go back to the "laundry day" idea that our Mothers had.
• Recheck pants pockets and clothes cubby holes before putting clothes into dryer. Gum, pencils, pens, money, nails, earrings, jewelry, etc. can damage clothing as well as damage your appliance.
• Improperly vented dryers can pose a serious fire hazard. This hazard can be drastically mitigated or even eliminated by installing a fire-safe venting system.

Labels: Clothes Dryer Parts