The National Fire Protection Association reports that washing machines and dryers cause nearly 16,000 fires annually, of which over 90% are due to dryers alone. These startling statistics reveal why dryer vent cleaning is crucial for apartment building owners and property managers.
Do you routinely invest in dryer vent cleaning in Charlotte, NC, for your apartment building? If not, consider doing it soon, as you might miss out on a long list of benefits by not taking advantage of the professional services available to you.
Learn about a few of the biggest ones below.
Reduces Fire Risks
Everything from electrical issues to faulty components can cause dryer-related fires to start in apartment buildings. However, according to the NFPA, one thing causes more of these fires than anything else: lint buildup. All it takes is one tiny spark within a dryer to start a fire that can spread quickly and potentially compromise an entire apartment building.
Almost 90,000 apartment buildings catch fire yearly in the U.S. While this number is down dramatically from over 110,000 in the 1980s, it still suggests room for improvement.
Lint buildup prevention is an effective way to stop at least some apartment building fires from sparking, highlighting why dryer vent cleaning is important. By taking it more seriously, you can prevent lint from clogging dryer vents and jumpstarting fires.
Minimizes the Chances of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
If your apartment building has electric dryers, you won’t have to worry about carbon monoxide affecting residents. These units rely on electrical elements, not natural gas, to operate.
If your apartment building has gas-powered dryers, the situation is different. They utilize gas to generate heat when drying clothes, creating carbon monoxide as a byproduct.
Thankfully, gas-powered dryers send carbon monoxide outside through their vents. However, if these vents clog with lint and other debris, they will send carbon monoxide back into your apartment building when in use, putting tenants at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 400 Americans die from carbon monoxide poisoning, and another 100,000 visit emergency rooms with it each year. By recognizing why dryer vent cleaning is important, you can prevent CO2 poisoning from becoming a problem within your apartment building.
Prevents Mold and Mildew Growth
In worst-case scenarios, clogged dryer vents can start fires and/or cause carbon monoxide poisoning cases within apartment buildings. But these are just a couple of the ways in which they can wreak havoc.
When dryer vents become clogged, they can also trap significant moisture. This could lead to mold and mildew growing in these vents and later spreading to other building materials, doing damage along the way.
If a mold and mildew outbreak is bad enough, it might even cause health-related complications among the tenants in an apartment building. Examples include:
- Coughing
- Congestion
- Eye irritation
- Asthma attacks
- Fungal infections
Dryer vent cleaning will reduce the moisture trapped inside, benefiting your apartment building’s mold prevention efforts.
Improves Energy Efficiency and Lowers Expenses
Your apartment building’s dryers must work harder than they should to dry clothing when their vents are filled with lint. This may lead to your energy bills spiking, as your tenants will consume more energy drying their clothes than they would otherwise, resulting in higher costs for you.
These dryers will also struggle to dry your tenants’ clothes, leaving many dissatisfied with the laundry facilities you have set up. By understanding why dryer vent cleaning is important, you’ll offer these tenants improved airflow in your dryers, which is a win-win for all.
Extends the Lifespans of Dryers
The average dryer typically lasts between 10 and 15 years. You may have to replace the dryers in your apartment building more often than this when you don’t work to keep their vents clean.
We also encourage you to tell your tenants about dryer vent safety to extend the lifespan of your apartment building’s dryers.
Let Us Handle Dryer Vent Cleaning and Provide Access to These Benefits
Cleaning your apartment building’s dryer vents with help from Community Concierge Services will help with fire hazard reduction and virtually eliminate the chances of carbon monoxide poisoning. It will also stop mold and mildew from growing and possibly save you money every month on your energy bills.
Allow us to explain why dryer vent cleaning is important. Contact us at (800) 742-9176 for more information on our dryer vent maintenance services and how they could benefit you today.