Over the course of a year the average washer and dryer sees about 477 loads of laundry, or about nine loads per week. These machines are designed to handle this type of activity and they will do it efficiently if they are properly maintained. Lint that is allowed to build up, however, can not only interfere with the performance of the appliance, but is also a significant fire hazard. Preventative maintenance is simple and effective.
Most people clean out the lint trap before drying the next load - a good habit to get into.
But more maintenance is needed to minimize the fire hazard. During the lint screen cleaning, some of the lint becomes air borne and settles in the surrounding area. This lint, along with those lint particles that happen to escape the lint trap in the normal drying process, can accumulate and build up, increasing the fire hazard. The areas behind and under the dryer are typical areas where this build-up can occur unnoticed. Although dryer manufacturers typically recommend the use of rigid aluminum duct venting systems with a minimum of direction changes and not longer than 15' to the outside, many people have dryer ventilation systems which utilize flexible vent tubes.