Hints from the Internet

Some info about clothes dryers

The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load of clothes.) He took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material . I'm sure you know what your dryer's lint filter looks like. Well .... the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn't go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh - that's what burns out the heating unit.

You can't SEE the film, but it's there. It's what is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free. You know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box ... well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen. This is also what causes dryer units to potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (and to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out and wash it with hot soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months.

He said that increases the life of the dryer at least twice as long! How about that!?! Learn something new everyday! I certainly didn't know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I'd share!

Note: I went to my dryer and tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water and a nylon brush and I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it ... the water ran right through the screen! There wasn't any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

From Kitten: I read about dryer sheets some time ago and quit using them for the most part. I still use them occassionally, mostly because of static cling. Dryer sheets do make towels nice and soft, but I also read that it causes the towels to be less absorbent. So I guess you need to decide what's most important to you.

I read another article that said to use liquid softener on, say a washcloth or other such material, throw into the dryer with a load of clothes instead of a dryer sheet. I haven't used this idea (trying to use up the dryer sheets I already bought), but I plan to try it out. If anyone else has, please post the results!

Oh, and here is a guilty little secret of my own: My dryer wouldn't start one day. I was quite put out as it had been running just fine. I had uniforms to dry for work the next day, and I was low on funds for a repairman or new dryer. I thought to check the lint filter and sure enough it was full! I hadn't remembered to clean it out in some time, I guess. That was a fire just waiting to happen! Once I cleaned the filter, the dryer ran just fine.