Find Out How to Save Money in the Laundry Room!

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Everyone likes to save money, especially saving money in areas that they use frequently. We found this article that we hope will help you save money by focusing just in the laundry room.

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SPONSOR FOCUS: If you need Denham Springs condos vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

1. Wash with cooler water
About 90 percent of the energy consumed by your washing machine is used just to heat the water, according to the Alliance to Save Energy. Switch to cold water for many of your loads, especially those with dark or bright colors and delicates like silk or wool. Cold-water washing won???t just save you money: It will also keep colors bright, reduce wrinkling and won???t set stains.

2. Run full loads
Your washer and dryer use the same amount of mechanical energy, regardless of how full they are, so the best way to save energy is to run full loads of laundry.

If you need to run a smaller load in the washing machine, be sure to use the appropriate water-level setting.

3. Throw in the towel
Toss a clean, dry towel or tennis ball into the dryer to get clothes to dry quicker, the Alliance suggests. The towel absorbs moisture, while the tennis ball helps circulate air between clothes.

4. Clean the lint filter
After each load, clean the lint screen in your dryer to improve air circulation, reduce drying time and prevent fires. The DOE recommends periodically using the long nozzle tip of your vacuum cleaner to remove the lint that builds up below the dryer???s lint screen slot.

Also, inspect your dryer vent from time to time to ensure it is not blocked; this precautionary measure will also save energy and prevent fires.

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Looking for more money saving ideas? Checkout this article on more money saving ideas that could be of interest to you.
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Learn the Facts About Dryer Vent Safety Here!

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

With so much confusing information out there about dryer vent safety we thought it would be important to provide clear information that’s easy to understand.

We found this article that we feel will do just that. Check it out!

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SPONSOR FOCUS: If you need Denham Springs townhomes vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

The Facts About Dryer Vent Fires

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued a consumer product safety alert. According to the CPSC, annually there are 15,500 household fires due to dryer exhaust duct fires.

Annual property damage is approximately $88,000,000

There are approximately 400 injuries and 15 deaths each year due to dryer vent fires

Failure to clean the dryer vent is THE leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residences

80% of clothes dryers fires occur in residences

Why it is Critical to Keep Dryer Vents Clean

Moisture- one gallon or more of water must be disposed of for every typical load of laundry. Because of the moisture, exhausting the dryer to the outside is a must. Lack of cleaning can contribute to the growth of mold and retention of lint within the system.

Carbon Monoxide- Proper exhausting is of particular importance with gas dryers. In addition to moisture and lint, gas dryer ducts carry the by-products of combustion, including carbon monoxide.

Clogging- A lot of lint is produced in the drying process, and lint can restrict or block dryer ducts. A poorly exhausting dryer is not only less efficient, it can also be a fire hazard due to extreme flammability of lint.

Who Should Have Their Dryer Vent Cleaned?

Anyone who uses their dryer regularly each week and has not had it cleaned in 2 years.

Anyone who washes several loads of laundry every day should have the dryer vent cleaned annually.

Anyone who can see lint buildup in the exterior duct vent or lint preventing the closure of the exterior flapper.

Anyone who has dryer duct work running up through the roof or out a second story wall should have the dryer duct work cleaned annually.

Anyone noticing that it is taking the dryer longer and longer to dry their clothes.

Everyone who owns and uses a dryer!

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Looking for more tips on dryer vent safety? Checkout this article and learn more important fire safety tips that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.mikesexteriorhomecare.com/dryer-vent-cleaning/

Learn Important Dryer Vent Safety Here!

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

A dryer is something that almost every home in America has and it’s important to know how to be safe around them.

Most people are probably not aware of how dangerous they can be and we hope you’ll learn how to stay safe with this article we found!

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SPONSOR FOCUS: If you need Denham Springs homeowners associations vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

Clothes dryers evaporate the water from wet clothing by blowing hot air past them while they tumble inside a spinning drum. Heat is provided by an electrical heating element or gas burner. Some heavy garment loads can contain more than a gallon of water which, during the drying process, will become airborne water vapor and leave the dryer and home through an exhaust duct (more commonly known as a dryer vent).

A vent that exhausts moist air to the home’s exterior has a number of requirements:

It should be connected. The connection is usually behind the dryer but may be beneath it. Look carefully to make sure it’s actually connected.

It should not be restricted. Dryer vents are often made from flexible plastic or metal duct, which may be easily kinked or crushed where they exit the dryer and enter the wall or floor. This is often a problem since dryers tend to be tucked away into small areas with little room to work. Vent hardware is available which is designed to turn 90?? in a limited space without restricting the flow of exhaust air. Restrictions should be noted in the inspector’s report. Airflow restrictions are a potential fire hazard.

One of the reasons that restrictions are a potential fire hazard is that, along with water vapor evaporated out of wet clothes, the exhaust stream carries lint highly flammable particles of clothing made of cotton and polyester. Lint can accumulate in an exhaust duct, reducing the dryer’s ability to expel heated water vapor, which then accumulates as heat energy within the machine. As the dryer overheats, mechanical failures can trigger sparks, which can cause lint trapped in the dryer vent to burst into flames. This condition can cause the whole house to burst into flames. Fires generally originate within the dryer but spread by escaping through the ventilation duct, incinerating trapped lint, and following its path into the building wall.

InterNACHI believes that house fires caused by dryers are far more common than are generally believed, a fact that can be appreciated upon reviewing statistics from the National Fire Protection Agency. Fires caused by dryers in 2005 were responsible for approximately 13,775 house fires, 418 injuries, 15 deaths, and $196 million in property damage. Most of these incidents occur in residences and are the result of improper lint cleanup and maintenance. Fortunately, these fires are very easy to prevent.

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Looking for more tips on dryer vent safety? Checkout this article and learn more important fire safety tips that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://www.nachi.org/dryer-vent-safety.htm

Looking to Save Money? Try These Ideas!

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Everyone likes to save money. We found this article that we hope will help you narrow down some additional ideas on saving you valuable money.

From the article:

Choose energy-saving lighting. About 10 percent of the energy your home uses going to lighting costs. Replacing 15 traditional bulbs with energy-saving bulbs will save you $50 a year — and more than $600 in energy costs over the life of the bulbs. Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs can yield as much as 75 percent energy savings and last six-times longer. Get even more energy savings, longer life span and less wasted heat by switching to ENERGY STAR LEDs.

Use an electronic power strip for your electronic equipment. Many electronic devices and equipment continue to consume unnecessary energy even when not in use. Often called energy vampires, these unplugged devices cost families about $100 a year. Use a power strip for electronic devices and turn it off when not in use to eliminate these energy vampires. And be sure to unplug your chargers — they draw energy even when they aren???t connected to a device.

Reduce energy for water heating. Water heating is a large energy expense in your home, accounting for about 14 percent of your utility bills. By taking low-cost steps, you can reduce your water heating bills. Make sure your water heater is set to no higher than 120 degrees. Install low-flow showerheads or temperature-sensitive shower valves. Newer water heaters have more insulation than older ones. If your water heater is more than five years old, you should wrap a water heater jacket around it to stop heat loss from the tank.

Hire a professional to maintain your heating and cooling system. Arrange for annual maintenance with a qualified technician. This includes checking the airflow over the coil, testing for the correct fluid (refrigerant) level, checking the combustion process and heat exchanger are operating safely, and ensuring proper air-flow to each room. In addition, you should clean the air filters in your heating and cooling system once a month, and replace them regularly.

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Did you know that your dryer could catch on fire? Checkout this article and learn why it’s important to maintain your dryer that could be of interest to you.
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Read the entire article here: http://energy.gov/articles/resolve-save-energy-year

Learn What to Do After a Fire From the U.S. Fire Administration

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Fires can be devastating. It can be difficult to pick up the pieces and move forward. We found this article that we hope will help if the need ever arises.

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SPONSOR FOCUS: If you need Denham Springs apartments vent cleaning services, then Dryer Vents Plus is your #1 choice! Call Jeremy Leake today at 225-612-7752 to schedule your 100% Free, No Obligation Quote!
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From the article:

Recovering from a fire can be a physically and mentally draining process.

When fire strikes, lives are suddenly turned around. Often, the hardest part is knowing where to begin and who to contact.

The U.S. Fire Administration has gathered the following information to assist you in this time of need. Action on some of the suggestions will need to be taken immediately. Some actions may be needed in the future while others will be on going. The purpose of this information is to give you the assistance needed to assist you as you begin rebuilding your life.

Contact your insurance company or agent right away.

Ask your agent:

What to do about the immediate needs of your home. This includes pumping out water and covering doors, windows, and other openings.

What you should do first. Some companies may ask you to make a list of everything that was damaged by the fire. They will ask you to describe these in detail and say how much you paid for the items.

Be careful when you return home.

If your home had a home fire sprinkler system, you will find little damage from flames, heat, smoke, and water. If not, and you plan to rebuild your home, now is the time to think about installing sprinklers into your home! Talk with the owner about it if you are a renter. You can find more information at the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition???s website: www.hfsc.org

Cleaning and restoring personal items.

There are companies that are experts in cleaning and/or restoring your personal items. Whether you or your insurer buys this type of service, be clear on who will pay for it. Be sure to ask for an estimate of cost for the work and agree to it in writing. Ask your insurance company for names of companies you can trust to do a good job at a fair price. These companies provide services that include some or all of the following:

securing your home against more damage;

estimating damage;

repairing damage;

estimating the cost to repair or renew items of personal property;

storing household items;

hiring cleaning or repair subcontractors; and

storing repaired items until needed.

Read the entire article here: http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/atf/

Warning Signs That Your Dryer Vent Ducts are Clogged

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn helpful tips and tricks to be able to see the warning signs if that your dryer vent ducts are clogged and need immediate attention.

View Warning Signs That Your Dryer Vent Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hello my name is Jeremy Leake and I???m with Dryer Vents Plus. Dryer Vents Plus is a dryer vent cleaning and repair company. Were in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and we’ve been operating for the past 6 years and we service south Louisiana.

Today I???d like to talk to you a little bit about your dryer efficiency. A few tips that you can use to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your dryer and things that you can pay attention to. Very simple first you want to look at the dryer lint screen. If the lint screen does it’s job it catches about 75-80% of the lint but the rest goes on through the dryer and clogs up the vent.

If you ever notice that you have a dryer vents screen that’s collecting on only half the screen or if it’s collecting on both sides or you notice that it???s not collecting any lint at all that is a problem. That’s a sign that your dryer vent is clogged up and you have an air flow issue. If the air is not flowing through properly lint won’t collect properly and that’s a sign that you need to look for to have the vent cleaned out.

Another thing you can look for is the heat of the dryer. If the heat of the dryer is warm that’s what you want to look for but if it’s hot to the touch then you don’t want to keep you hand on it it’s too hot then that’s a sign that you have an extremely clogged up dryer vent and you have an issue that needs to take care of.

Another thing is if your clothes are taking too long, especially jeans and towels, to dry then you want to give us a call to come out and clean out the dryer vent. Another simple thing a lot of people overlook is the space between the wall and the dryer if you keep about 4 or 5 inches between the wall and the dryer that will alleviate the problem that you could have with the dryer vent hose behind the dryer. You want to leave enough space so that there’s not getting crushed back there and the air duct has enough space there to blow through.

Those are a few simple things you can look at while you???re doing your laundry. If you have any of these issues you can always reach us. Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus. Our phone number is 225-612-7752.

Prevent Accidental Flooding From Your Washer

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn how to prevent accidental flooding from your home’s washing machine.

View Warning Signs That Your Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hi. I’m Jeremy with Dryer Vents Plus. Today we’re here in the laundry room where I would like to help you get more out of your dryer.

Today we’re going to talk a little bit about washing machines, primarily washing machine hoses. If you have the old rubber hoses in the back of your washing machine, those hoses over time, they get brittle. They can cause a rupture and that would cause a house flood. That’s the leading cause of house flooding.

Part of our service, what we do is change out those rubber hoses with the stainless steel braided hose. The stainless steel braided hose has got a reinforced braid all the way around it to stop that line from rupturing. This is part of our service. It’s something that we can do on a regular basis for you. I would suggest you get this done every four, five years. But it is something that we can take a look at whenever we come out to service your dryer vent.

Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus here to help you get more out of your dryer.

Exterior Dryer Vent Cleaning

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

In this video from Jeremy and the team from Dryer Vents Plus, you’ll learn if your dryer vents need to be cleaned out by looking at the outside air vent.

View Warning Signs That Your Ducts are Clogged Video on Youtube

Transcript of Video:

Hi. This is Jeremy Leake from Dryer Vents Plus and today we???ve moved outside of the laundry room to the exterior exhaust. We want to check the air flow in this vent.

Also we want to take a look at these louvers. These louvers are a notorious place for lint to get caught up in. Think of that lint getting in these little crevices and it’s very tenacious the lint. It can get stuck in there. It’s almost like paper-mache. It builds up and builds up.

Over time if it dries out, it can clamp these little things shut and it could reduce your air flow and that, even though the dryer is working fine, will inhibit the efficiency of the dryer. You can see these are all moving fine and there’s a lot of air moving through there. That’s what you want. But this is an out-of-sight, out-of-mind problem.

So from time to time, you should come outside when the dryer is on and make sure your flaps are opening up. Make sure you have lots of exhaust coming out.

Again this is Jeremy from Dryer Vents Plus, hoping you get more out of your dryer.

Maintaining Your Home is Important

Posted on February 11, 2013 by Jeremy Leake

Every homeowner knows that it’s important to maintain their home but most don’t know what needs to be done or when it should be done. We found this article that should help you out.

From the article:

Home maintenance is one of those things that’s easy to forget or put off, because many tasks only need to be done once in a while or a few times a year. If you’re not careful, though, you can end up being that house in the neighborhood with the overgrown yard, peeling paint, and a list of expensive, but possibly could-have-been-prevented repairs.

So the problem is knowing what you need to do to maintain your home and when. Our solution: A one-click-to-subscribe Home Maintenance Calendar that lays out all the most common, necessary home maintenance tasks so you won’t forget.

What to do in the fall

Outdoors:
-Take down window screens to store (label them for quickly putting up in the spring, and repair or replace now, if needed). After you wash your windows, replace with storm windows.
-Seal windows and doors with weatherstripping and also check caulking (you can save as much as 15% on your heating bill, according to This Old House). Replace seals as necessary.
-Check roof for leaks, damaged or missing shingles, and pests hiding in vents.
-While you’re up there, check chimney for leaks, bricks and mortar falling apart, and, again, pests.
-Yard cleanup! Trim trees and shrubs closer than 3 inches from your house.
-Check your outdoor faucet for leaks, then drain and turn them off. Store hoses.
-Clean gutters and downspouts. Bob Vila will tell you how. Gutter covers of some kind can also help keep debris out of your gutters.
-Clean, oil, and store garden tools. (You could also store them in a bucket of sand to prevent rust.)
-Clean and store patio furniture (or cover with weatherproof material).

Indoors:
-Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries, if needed. Also check fire extinguishers. This is a good time to do fire drills and review your emergency documents.
-Remove air conditioners or protect with weatherproof cover (if applicable).
-Check attic for insulation, leaks, hiding squirrels, etc. A simple attic inspection is easy to do when you know what to look for.
-Flush out water heater to get rid of the sediment.
-Bleed radiators if you have hot-water heat. Don’t do this when the system is use, because the water will be hot.
-Vacuum and clean refrigerator coils.
-Inspect kitchen and bath fixtures and cabinets for leaks, and prevent water damage by re-caulking or re-grouting counter tops and tiles in the kitchen or bathroom as necessary.

What to do in the spring

Outdoors:
-Wash windows and replace storm windows with screens.
-Check gutters and downspouts and clean if necessary.
-Check outside walls for damage or deterioration (e.g., brick work or siding repairs, peeling paint)
-Check your deck for water damage or stains. A pressure washer can help rid your deck of mold and moss.

Indoors:
-Check smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, and replace batteries, if needed.
-Check basement for cracks or leaks, dampness and mold.
-Inspect kitchen and bath fixtures and prevent water damage by recaulking or regrouting countertops and tiles in the kitchen or bathroom as necessary.
-Check clothes dryer vents and rid them of lint.

If you have a question for us contact us today!

To view the entire article click here: http://lifehacker.com/5844978/how-to-stop-neglecting-your-home-and-keep-it-from-turning-into-the-money-pit