Helpful tip I thought I'd share!

Deelady

Deelady

New member
I read this online tonight and thought I'd pass it on!! :D Learn something new everyday!!


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 clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; 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 ... that nice fragrance too. 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 (or other brush) at l east e very six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!
 
I’m not entirety sure I buy into this one. Water has a higher surface tension than air, and as such, could sit easily on top of the fine mesh screen of a dryer lint screen. The real test would be to place the screen in front of a fan to see if air is blocked. Also, blow smoke through it (which is a bit heaver than plain air) and see if that pass.

Water has a surface tension that must be accounted for, and it’s surface tension has led to some interesting things such as the Jesus Lizard being able to walk on water. In short, if water doesn’t break (the surface tension is compromised) then it can support weight and even roll happily around on a tight mesh. You can lessen water’s surface tension with dish washing liquid.

Ok….that was geeky!! :hide:
 
I'm with Ray. I don't use the sheets, but good tip.
I'll pass it on to my sister in case she uses those sheets.
 
I havent tried it yet since our dryer is still relatively new, but I would imagine after they washed it they saw a difference, or else she wouldnt have posted it to share right....?
 
It's also important to occasionally check the vent hose and clean out the wall cap. Those things can get clogged and cause a similar problem.
 
This is really interesting! I had heard this before, too, and had stopped using dryer sheets. But lately DH has been using them again so when I read this, I started checking this out. Consumer Reports says, as Keltin pointed out, that water will just bead up on a brand new lint filter - it's just the nature of the beast. So they say that dryer sheets are fine. However, in the snopes thing has a link to and appliance parts store that mentions that the dryer sheet residue can be deposited on the moisture sensor and make the dryer run longer, thus wearing out the dryer sooner. That makes a lot of sense to me. They suggest cleaning the moisture sensor regularly with a little alcohol. (Now I have to figure out where the heck the moisture sensor is!)
 
Fisher's Mom said:
This is really interesting! I had heard this before, too, and had stopped using dryer sheets. But lately DH has been using them again so when I read this, I started checking this out. Consumer Reports says, as Keltin pointed out, that water will just bead up on a brand new lint filter - it's just the nature of the beast. So they say that dryer sheets are fine. However, in the snopes thing has a link to and appliance parts store that mentions that the dryer sheet residue can be deposited on the moisture sensor and make the dryer run longer, thus wearing out the dryer sooner. That makes a lot of sense to me. They suggest cleaning the moisture sensor regularly with a little alcohol. (Now I have to figure out where the heck the moisture sensor is!)
Click to expand...

It's next to the doohicky watchamacallit!!! :whistling:
 
The snopes articles says that a waxlike substance can come off a dryer sheet and build up and clog the screen holes. I’d imagine if that happens it’s very easy to see since it out to look like a honeycomb filled with wax. That is, it should be visibly clogged, other wise, air will still flow.

The original email says you can’t see the film but it is there......that’s the part I don’t buy. If wax has built up enough to clog one of the square holes in the lint screen, it should be visible. Milky or opaque, but certainly not crystal clear and invisible like some kind of force field. As snopes points out, the substance can possibly build up and clog those holes in the screen, but that substance would surely be visible.
 
Maybe the residue constricts the holes by attaching itself to the mesh material. In which case it might not be actually noticeable, but it would impede air passing through.
Beats me, but I know my ozone/air filter thingy works a lot better after cleaning the stainless screens with ammonia & water, even though they look clean to me.
 
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