Everyone hates doing laundry. Something I hate doing more than laundry is spending my hard-earned money on necessary household electronics. About 7 months ago, I was forced to purchase a new washer and dryer and would prefer these machines to last me a very long time. When the installation crew came to install my new washer and dryer, I mentioned this preference to them. Fortunately, one of the men told me one of his tips on how to prolong the life of a dryer.

According to this man, dryer sheets cause a film over the mesh on the lint filter of your dryer. You cannot see the film, but its there. The material used in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static-free builds up on your lint screen over time. This can also cause the heating unit in your dryer to die and cause the unit to catch on fire, potentially burning down your house.

He informed me that the best way to keep a dryer working for as long as possible is to take the lint filter out and wash it with hot, soapy water and an old toothbrush at least every six months. This will make the life of the dryer at least twice as long.
Now that I have had my dryer for over six months, I tested this man's theory. Here is what I did.

1. I removed the lint filter from my dryer. It looked clean as usual. (I always clean the lint from it after every load of clothes.)
2. I then took the filter over to the sink and ran hot water over it. To my surprise, the water ran trough a little, but mostly collected on top of the mesh screen.
3. I washed the screen with an old brush and a little hand soap.
4. While rinsing the filter, I noticed that the water ran right through the screen!

The dryer installation man was right! Hopefully repeating this process ever 6 months will prolong the life of my dry, and I can spend my hard-earned money on something more enjoyable in the future!