You just finished drying a load of towels. After folding them, you set them aside to be stored later. As you move to put in another hunk of clothes, you pull out the lint trap. You clean it, peeling the blue-grey fluff off with two fingers. You dust it off before sliding it back in. A lot of homeowners think that's enough.

Using our video inspection camera, we can show you all the dirt and lint that stays inside your vents even after you’ve cleared the lint trap. Over time, lint will build up in the dryer, transition duct, and exhaust duct, reducing airflow and increasing the risk of fires. When excess humidity, is trapped by the build-up, mold and bacteria will follow. Fortunately, Central Oregon Heating, Cooling & Plumbing can get rid of this dirt and clear what’s obstructing your dryer duct.

A lot of homeowners miss the warning signs of a clogged dryer vent. So, even if you don’t use our services, we want to make sure you keep an eye out for:

• A burning or musty odor from your dryer
• Loads taking longer to dry than they used to
• A peek inside the vent reveals a lot of lint
• An accumulation of dryer lint on the inside of the dryer door
• An inability to feel air from the vent itself
• Excessive lint on dark clothing

According to data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, dryer issues can cause fires which result in 20 deaths, 370 injuries, and over $75 million in property damage each year. The main cause of all this destruction? Lint that accumulates and catches fire. But those disaster costs are just one reason smart homeowners in Bend regularly clean their ducts. Here’s a quick list of dryer vent cleaning benefits:

• Fire Prevention: This is the main cause of the costs discussed earlier. Dryer lint is one of the most flammable items in your home. With estimates of 15,500 US home fires being attributed to dirty dryer vents—making it the second-most common cause—it is more important than ever to get your dryer vent regularly cleaned.
• Time Savings: As your dryer vent fills with lint and dust, drying time will increase. While you might not notice the extra one or two minutes at first, eventually you’ll have to run every load through an extra cycle. This means more work for you. Hiring someone to clean your dryer vents gets you that time back.
• More Money in Your Wallet: If your clogged dryer vent means drying everything twice, you’re throwing money out the window. So, while you’ll have to pay a dryer vent cleaning company, the savings will more than recoup the cost.

For the optimal balance of cost and safety, experts advise getting your dryer vents professionally cleaned once or twice a year.

As a homeowner in Bend, there are things you can do to help prevent lint build-up and stretch out the time between our visits. Though you might be thinking of those DIY dryer cleaning kits, that’s not what we’re talking about. We’ve seen what those can do and are NOT impressed. Also, finding a brush that fits your model of dryer can be difficult. Instead, we suggest:

• Replacing foil or plastic ducts with semi-rigid ones
• Securing your dryer duct joints with metal tape
• Only using dryer ducts that are 4 or more inches in diameter
• Removing build-up from the lint filter after each load
• Washing your lint screen every couple of weeks to get rid of detergent residue
• Installing a screen on the outside dryer duct to keep animals and debris out
• Cleaning the dryer vent hose regularly
• Never operating the dryer without the lint holder in place

Central Oregon Heating, Cooling & Plumbing’s dryer vent cleaning experts aren’t afraid to get dirty to ensure your dryer vent is clean and your family safe. Reach out to us at 541-246-7223 for pricing and other information.

Our HVAC company proudly serves the Redmond and Bend areas. In addition to dryer vent cleaning, we also offer ac repair and replacement services. We invite you to give 541-246-7223 a call to learn more about what sets us apart from our competition.