Do you clean out your lint trap on a daily basis? A lint trap is an important part of the dryer and ideally you should be cleaning it out every time that you use the dryer. When a lint catcher is clean, it makes the dryer more efficient and it will prevent the risk of a major fire. Dryer fires can cause thousand of home fires every year. Lint is highly combustible and a dryer fire can quickly get out of control and cause great property damage and sometimes even death.

A lint trap acts as a filter between the dryer and exhaust vent. As clothing dries, large amounts of lint can be produced and most of the lint will be caught in the lint filter. However, not all the lint will be caught by the lint filter so it is a good idea to regularly clean a dryer to remove the excess accumulated lint. If your clothes are coming out damp or taking a long time to dry, some part of the dryer vent system may be blocked which is a fire hazard. Make sure to check the ventilation tube to make sure that it is not obstructed before using your dryer again. It is recommended to have a store like Sears come out once every year or two years to give your dryer a good cleaning and inspection to prevent a tragedy like a fire.

Here are a couple facts that will encourage you to clean out your lint filter from now on:

• An estimated 2,900 clothes dryer fires in residential buildings are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 5 deaths, 100 injuries, and $35 million in property loss.
• Clothes dryer fire incidence in residential buildings was higher in the fall and winter months, peaking in January at 11 percent.
• Failure to clean (34 percent) was the leading factor contributing to the ignition of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
• Dust, fiber, and lint (28 percent) and clothing not on a person (27 percent) were, by far, the leading items first ignited in clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
• Fifty-four percent of clothes dryer fires in residential buildings were confined to the object of origin.