When cleaning and detailing your apartment, apartments/rooms or your entire property we somehow tend to forget that the laundry rooms are in dire need of cleaning as well especially the ducts that serve as the dryer vent. In a case where you have residential buildings and a joint laundry room then imagine the dust, lint and other impurities that fill these rooms as well as ducts that are supposed to lead all of them outside. Dryer vents in commercial buildings take a lot more abuse than those in our homes. Imagine 30+ apartments constantly using the laundry room and no one is keen on cleaning the lint from the dryer let alone from the vents in the building. If a dryer vent is left for a long time without cleaning, lint accumulates, and that can be very dangerous because lint accumulation combined with constant hot air going through those vents can be a serious fire hazard. That is why you would need residential dryer vent commercial cleaning services to clean the vents for you.
From the research that the National Fire Protection Association did in July 2024, dryers and washing machines cause around 15,970 fires every year. What is even more interesting is the fact that dryers cause 92% of fires from that number which makes them a serious problem if not cleaned and maintained properly. Cleaning your dryer vent regularly or at least once a year can help prevent such hazards. Click here for more information.
1. Should You Clean Your Dryer Vent Regularly?
After everything we wrote above is there any doubt that you should check your dryer vents right now or if you are in commercial building call the Residential Dryer Vent Commercial Cleaning Services right now to do the check-up? Now seriously, you should opt for residential dryer vent commercial cleaning services at least one time per year. However, if you notice some unusual things with your dryer vent, KRS Holdings Management warns you should ensure you check it. Some of the signals that it needs to be cleaned are – a longer time than before to dry clothes, the changes in the room temperatures after a drying process is complete and last but not less important is that burning smell in the laundry room during or after the drying process. These are signals that your dryer vent needs to be checked.
Don’t wait until a year has passed for you to check your dryer vent, especially after noticing these signs.
2. Steps to Clean Your Dryer Vent
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Clean the dryer’s lint catcher
Every dryer should have its lint catcher inside the drum. If you don’t know where to find it look in the owner’s manual, if it is available to you, and check its location. If you do not know what to look for it should be a piece of plastic, squarish in shape with tin mesh that is supposed to clear all the lint during the drying process. This is the first thing you should look at because it also can get clogged up and cause your dryer to underperform.
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Safety first
To start cleaning your commercial residential dryer vents, unplug the electric dryer from the socket. If your dryer uses gas, close the gas valve to stop gas from flowing when you are cleaning. Some people switch off the gas from the supply valve. Do not do that. If you doubt yourself on any of the cleaning processes, it will be easier and better if you let a professional help you.
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Remove the duct from the dryer
The dryer vent is located at the back of your dryer. To have easy access to it, move your dryer from the wall. Before the start of the process, ensure you have a dust mask on. Now remove the duct from the dryer, and you might require a screwdriver. Check for any damages on the vent. If there are tears and breakages repair them, but if they are severe it is a good idea to replace the dryer hose because they are easy to find and aren’t that expensive. The degree of damage will determine if the damaged parts of the duct need repair or replacement.
Also, when repairing, use duct tape or a metal repair duct tape. If your vent is made of flexible tubing and you find out that it needs replacement, buy a more rigid type of vent. This is because the flexible one stores lint on the ribbed curves, which will require constant checking. The more rigid type does not have space where lint can hide and build up.
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Clean the lint using a vacuum hose and brushes
If you are doing this by yourself then there is a kit for this that can easily be purchased and it isn’t that expensive. But if it is for residential cleaning job than you should leave it for professional that have adequate tools for this. They might look all the same but believe us they are on the next level when it comes to this. A long flexible brush will clean the vent the best because it can get too many inaccessible places with the regular brush. To clean lint from the exhaust duct of the machine, use a vacuum. Vacuum-clean all the dust and debris. You can consider getting a duct brush kit with a long pole. This will make you get to areas of the dryer that you cannot clean with the usual tools. Leaving dust on the floor will only get back to your dryer. Vacuum it as well, leave nothing behind.
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Clean the outside of the dryer vent
It is also essential to clean the outside part of the dryer. Unscrew all the covered areas to ensure there are no invisible damages made. Suck any dust and debris using the vacuum. If there is a lot of dirt, empty the vacuum bin frequently to avoid sucking back more dust and returning it to the dryer.
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Return the vent and test if it works
After the residential dryer vent commercial cleaning process, the professionals will make sure to return every part of the dryer that was unscrewed or disconnected to its previous position and do a test run to confirm there are no leakages. Return the vent to the dryer too, carefully, after all the repairs or replacement. They will return everything just as it was being and you will see no changes, well only those that regard your machines performance and the lack of that worrying burning smell in the room from before. If you also want to test everything yourself, start with throwing in a small load of laundry, just in case. Another way of testing your dryer is by placing your hand on the dryer vent to gauge the strength of the exhaust, just be careful not to get burned.
To keep your dryer and your home or building safe, ensure you check your dryer vent at least yearly. Also, be keen on the signs that could indicate an accumulation of lint. This will not take much time but it can potentially save a lot of lives. If you are unsure about doing this job by yourself call the professionals and get this done fast, secure and without much hassle.
