real estate
6 house repairs to tackle
Cost: $120-$200.
How often: every year.
When: a sunny day.
The purpose is to get rid of lint buildup. If your dryer is not on an exterior wall, it's likely that the vent leading outside is clogged up, says Gessner of A Step in Time Chimney Sweeps.
If you ignore it, the result could be a disastrous fire. "Once the vent gets clogged, the dryer starts overheating and it can catch on fire," Gessner says. "Dryer fires are very dangerous."
Potential savings: your home, your furnishings, your belongings and your life.
Bottom line: "I had been airing a radio commercial talking about the importance of dryer vent cleaning for about a month when three people (in our area) died in a fire caused by a dryer vent fire," Gessner says.
