In terms of maintenance, your dryer is fairly easy to upkeep. At the same time, this can be the most dangerous appliance in the home if you do not do your preventive maintenance because it can literally burn down the house. Just remember this… lint is not your friend!
Use Good Vent Tubing
The vent tubing is something that you will want to check right away. If the previous homeowners went cheap, there is probably plastic vent tubing used on the back. This is prone to melting and cracking, so you are going to want to replace that with aluminum vent tubing as soon as possible.
Clean Them Out
This is something you need to do EVERY TIME you use the dryer. That little lint screen… wipe it clean after every dryer use. If you do not do that, the lint will start to back up into the dryer vent tubing, where it will gather. If that becomes clogged, it can lead to a host of issues.
First, a small spark could create a fire in the vent tubing. With lint being extremely flammable, it will not take long for the tube to catch fire, quickly spreading in the walls of the home. To that point, you should be scheduling regular cleaning of the dryer vent tubing to ensure there is no backup in there. To be safe, you can schedule in once a quarter, but, at the very least, have this done twice a year.
Second, if you allow the lint to build up, it will prevent the dryer air from circulating, which is possibly why it sometimes takes more than one cycle to dry your clothes. If you are seeing this regularly, having the vents professionally cleaned is probably a very good idea.
Stabilize the Dryer
Just like your washer, you want to make sure the dryer is stabilized so it is working properly. Just give the dryer a quick shake and if it moves, you probably need to adjust the legs on the bottom of the dryer. Better yet, if you have a level in the home, just give it a quick check. If the dryer is uneven, it could unevenly distribute the load inside the dryer, which could lead to come clothes not being completely dry. This is just a two-minute fix that will not only save you money on energy, but it will also help to extend the life of the dryer.
