Safety Alert for Super Busy Parents

I heard from a friend who recently had a problem with her clothes dryer and I want to alert you about what she found out. It could save the lives of you, your family and your pets, as well as your home. Even though your life is super busy, it's vital that you take the time to do some general maintenance to ensure that all of your appliances are in good running order.

My friend had called in a repair man because the heating unit went out on her dryer. As a mother of 3 boys at the start of soccer season, this was a real problem! As the repair man fixed things, he pulled out the lint filter. It was clean because my friend has the habit in place to clean the lint filter every time she empties the dryer. Although it appeared clean, there was an invisible unpermeating film that sat on top. He ran some hot water on it and it just sat on top of the mesh!

The repair man explained the dangers of this 'common' situation. As this film builds up it burns out the heating unit and dimishes the life of your dryer. It also causes dryer units to catch fire and potentially burn your house down with it.

Apparantely, the problem occurs from a buildup from dryer sheets. Although I don't normally use dryer sheets, the advice is easy enough to follow, that I'll do it anyway. This repair man recommended taking out your filter and washing it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every 6 months (more if you do many washes using dryer sheets). He said this will make the life of your dryer at least twice as long and help lower your electric/gas bill. Be sure to rinse all the soap residue and dry the lint screen completely before returning it to the dryer.