The simplest thing to do, is Clean The lint Filter, each Time You Use Your Dryer.

Why? Dryers work by blowing hot air through the drum and around the clothes in order to dry them. Every bit of air has to go through the fluff filter. If it’s not clean , then that slows down the air flow. That really slows down the drying process, wastes electricity and means the clothes dryer has to run for longer to dry a load of laundry.

More use, means it will wear out sooner. More use, means it will waste electricity . Clean The Fluff Filter Each Time .

Because I must be lazy, I keep an old detergent box near myd rier . So instead of having to go to the dustbin every time. I just clean the fluff into the old detergent box. I empty the box once or twice a month. That’s only 2 trips to the dustbin a month, instead of 30 or 40 . If your Tumble Dryer is the “Vented” type. That’s the kind that blows the warm damp air out through a flexible hose, or through a vent or pipe in the wall. Here is some advice .

Vent pipes clog up over time with old wet fluff and laundry fibres . This has the same affect as a clogged filter. It cuts down the Dryer’s performance, uses more electricity and because your Dryer needs to run for longer. It will wear faster and break down more often Once or twice a year , remove the vent pipe and wash it out. A garden hose works fine, or put some water into the bath and swish the vent pipe around till it’s clean. I have a friend who uses the shower to do the same job. All that matters , is that the vent hose or pipe is clean and not clogged. Some Tumble Dryers are hooked up to “Through The Wall Vent Pipes” Same thing applies, these get clogged as well. Dryers are quite easy to move , so it’s not too hard to pull it out from it’s place and disconnect the vent pipe. Wash and replace it .

Many of the Dryers connected to “Through The Wall Vent Kits” use too long a flexible vent hose to connect to the wall. The result can sometimes be that the flexible vent hose kinks when the Dryer is pushed back into place. You might never know, as often you won’t be able to see it. A kinked hose is much worse than a blocked filter. A quick way to check. When your Dryer is working. Go outdoors and hold your hand in front of the vent exhaust . If you can feel a good amount of hot air blowing out, it should be ok. On the outside of “Through The Wall Vent Systems” There is often a wire mesh filter behind the exhaust . They are known to become blocked in a matter of months. This external filter just clicks off. Clean and refit it. If you have never cleaned it, you will be shocked at how dirty and blocked it is and how much quicker your Dryer will now dry a load of laundry.

If you are washing small “Fast” washes in your Washing Machine, these are around 2.5 kg. Turning the Tumble Dryer on for a small load is wasteful. Most full sized Dryers will be rated at or above 5Kg. So why not wait and mix 2 small loads into one load. This saves on running costs and running time. Saving you money and cuts down on the total machine running time over a couple of separate loads. This is fine as long as you remember a golden rule. Don’t cram your Dryer with too much Laundry or over load it. Which brings me to the next point. Over Loading your Tumble Dryer is false economy.

Tumble Dryers blow hot air through the laundry as it tumbles around. If it is over loaded, the hot air can’t get at all the clothes. You will end up with some damp clothes and some over dried clothes. It is also very hard on the drum drive belt and front and rear bearings. Don’t do it. It’s not smart and it’s costing you money. So to Recap.

Clean the Lint filter Each time you use your machine . Clean the vent pipe at least twice yearly . Check the outside vent filter is not blocked up . Don’t dry lots of separate small loads if you don’t need to. A large load (as long as it’s not an overload) is much cheaper. Don’t overload your Tumble Dryer.You will only end up spending more on Tumble Dryer repairs and it’s false economy.

In my next article. I will share more ways to cut down on Dryer running costs and offer more advice on how to get the best from your Tumble Dryer.