Posted in Home, Savvy Mailbag | Monday, March 29th, 2010
This week’s mailbag post comes from artist and my Savvy Logo designer Akinseye Brown. No relation, but him, his wife and Sexy and I are all good friends. He shared this interesting story that was sent to him by a friend:
Akinseye writes…
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. 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 thru the screen! There wasn’t any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!
Thanks ‘Seye!
I’m having our dryer services this week, but from now on we’ll rinse the filter out as well. This is reason number 547 why I love dryer Balls! If you don’t know what those are, check this post out.
About Savvy Brown
I believe being healthy doesn't have to be complicated, being green can be easy and being broke isn't an option!
more>>
Source: Uploaded by user via Savvy on Pinterest
/div>
Wow. Interesting! Thanks for that info; I would have never known.
Wow, I had no idea! I usually use liquid softener. I recently tried a sheet that had laundry detergent & fabric softener built in. You’re suppose to put in the dryer with the laundry. I loved it, until I read this! Thanks for posting!
@Marjorie Knowing is half the battle they say!
[...] presents Savvy Mailbag: Another Way Dryer Sheets Can Be a Fire Hazard | Savvy Brown posted at savvy brown, saying, “Dryer Sheets Can Be a Fire [...]
I come to know that if we want 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.
[...] because, well, fabric softener is kind of toxic and dryer sheets are messy, (not to mention a fire hazard). And I figured I could live with a little static cling. That is until the day the kitten decided [...]