Ames has plenty of homes where the dryer hardly gets a day off: rental houses with several roommates, families with kids in sports, duplexes with shared laundry. The more loads you run, the faster lint builds up in the vent. In a rental there’s an extra problem, because the people doing the laundry usually aren’t the people responsible for maintaining it.
Top Notch Chimney Sweep & Services is a family owned company that has served Central Iowa since 2002, Ames included. The technician who shows up is certified in dryer vent cleaning and knows what a healthy vent should look like.
How Often Should a Dryer Vent Be Cleaned?
For a typical household, once a year is a good rule. Some homes need it more often:
- Rentals and shared laundry, where several people run loads every day
- Homes with long vent runs, roof vents or several turns in the line
- Households that wash a lot of towels, bedding or pet blankets, which shed heavy lint
- Any home where loads are already taking longer to dry
If you aren’t sure, give us a call and tell us how your laundry is set up. We’ll help you figure out a reasonable schedule. Between cleanings, clear the lint trap every load and keep an eye on drying times. If they creep up, don’t wait for the yearly visit.
For Landlords
Tenants don’t always clear the lint trap, and they rarely report a slow dryer until it stops working. A yearly vent cleaning, timed with lease turnover if possible, keeps lint from building up and helps the dryer last longer. If we find a crushed transition hose, a disconnected section or an animal nest at the exterior hood, we’ll let you know so it can be dealt with before the next tenant moves in.
Fire and Carbon Monoxide
A clogged vent forces the dryer to run hotter and longer, and lint is flammable. The National Fire Protection Association identifies clothes dryers as a leading cause of home laundry fires, and failure to clean is a leading factor. If the dryer runs on gas, a blocked vent can also keep carbon monoxide from venting outside. That’s reason enough to keep the line clear in any home, especially one with several people living in it.
What We Do on Site
Our technician checks the vent system for damage and anything causing poor airflow. We set up a powerful HEPA vacuum to contain loosened lint and keep the laundry area clean. Specialized brushes go through the vent line while the vacuum pulls the lint out. We also look for animals and nesting material at the exterior end. Our main dryer vent cleaning page has more on the service.
Keep the Rest of the House on Schedule
Turnover is also a good time to clean the heating and cooling system. See our Ames air duct cleaning page. If the property has a fireplace, our CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep can handle chimney sweeping on the same schedule.
Visit our Ames service area page for everything else we offer locally.
Time for a cleaning? Give us a call at (515) 249-6337, or pick a time on our scheduling page.
