Lint, Dust, and Dander— Oh My!
Spring is a great time to take care of your home’s interior air. Depending on where you live, you may be battling pollen and allergens outside, and need a clean sanctuary inside. It’s a good idea to make sure the air you’re breathing is as clean as a whistle, or at least not swarming with particulates.
You can start with the standard air purifier. There’s too many varieties out there (large, small, oscillating, stationary) to do a comparison list — all I will say is check for any recalls on these products, as these types of smaller items (like dehumidifiers) tend to frequently have major recalls for being fire hazards. Since most people leave these machines on for long periods of time, it only makes sense to give yourself some peace of mind.
For some people, especially those with pets and older homes, it may also be a good idea to get your ductwork cleaned. This doesn't need to be done more than every 5 years (at least, that’s what my vent company recommended). The company comes to your home, and sends tools inside vents to vacuum and brush ductwork to clean hair, pet hair, dust, dander, and other disgusting goodies from your home’s system.
Here’s a big caveat to having this done: Do not get the antimicrobial treatment that the duct cleaning company will inevitably offer, unless you know you need it. I know, sounds crazy, right? Here’s the reason: unless you know you have a current moisture problem in the ducts that is creating mold or bacteria overgrowth (for example, Legionaire’s), or the company diagnoses something of that sort, there is no reason to have the treatment done. In fact, it can cause mold! That’s right, the moisture in the liquid can actually become a breeding ground for mold that would not have been there in the first place. It’s a fascinating topic to research and I’m really just giving some basic advice here based on my (unprofessional) opinion, but there’s a lot of resources regarding this often over-looked duct cleaning that I encourage you to dig into.
Feel free to do your own research on this and choose the solution that best serves your needs, but this is what I found while looking up information for my own vents. Caveat #2: for some people, if you have ductwork that is older or has easily been knocked off kilter in the past, maybe having your ducts cleaned isn’t the best path for you. I personally went with the vacuuming, and in a 20 year+ old home they got lots of delightful junk out of mine. I thought the previous owners had left, yet they seemed to leave quite a good bit behind!
On the topic of cleaning ducts and vents: We recently had a shocking lint related event that I wanted to share with you all. One day our dryer smelled strongly of burning — and not in a minor way. From time to time it had smelled slightly off but we assumed it was from minor overuse on the weekends (note that assuming this was a mistake!!) This time however, something clearly was imminently in danger of catching on fire. We immediately turned the dryer off and unplugged it.
We get our dryer vent professionally cleaned out at least once per year (every 6-12 months is recommended to prevent dryer fires!), and we also clean the lint trap after every use, so we felt fairly confident that neglect in that area wasn’t the problem. Perhaps a belt was going bad?
Turns out the belt was fine, but what was found… wow.
The install company had either not properly installed, or installed in such a way that it easily came loose, the vent inside the dryer. You can see near the bottom of the photo where the cylindrical ductwork piece doesn’t line up with its partner.
Because the vent was knocked loose, lint, potentially a couple years of it (our dryer is relatively new) not being properly blown outside, and accumulating in the bottom of the dryer. Surrounding the heating element, the motor, everything. Until one day the dryer had had enough.
Luckily the dryer was able to be saved but it was a near thing. I am grateful we discovered this problem when we did and that no one was hurt.
So my advice here: use your nose. Don’t convince yourself that an “off” smell is normal or doesn’t mean anything - it’s not, and it does.
Happy Homemaking!