The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires, which resulted in 20 deaths and 370 injuries. Fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire in some dryers.

As dryer vents become filled with lint and other debris, the efficiency of the dryer decreases and drying time increases. This increases energy consumption since the dryer has to run longer to dry your clothes and can also cause fires in the dryer or the dryer duct. Longer drying time also causes premature wear of the dryer.

In many of today’s houses the dryer vents have longer runs and more elbows. The added restrictions increase the need for dryer vent cleaning.