Frugal Friday

[ecosophia]

Welcome back to Frugal Friday! This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which may change further as we proceed.

Rule #1:  this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc.  I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2:  this is not a place for you to sell goods or services, period. Here again, I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #3:  please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about.  Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #4: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

With that said, have at it!

Comments

Clean Dryer Ducts

[(Anonymous)]

Those of us still choosing to use a dryer for at least part of the year would do good to remember to periodically clean the exhaust duct - that tin pipe that leads out of the house. While your dryer has a lint trap, its not perfect and so lint will inevitably get into the exhaust where it can build up and choke your dryer's performance. I let the exhaust go uncleaned for 5 years and didn't realize how bad things had gotten until I cleaned it out and found dryer performance had gone from 2 cycles on medium heat to just one cycle on low heat for a full load of clothes!

Re: Clean Dryer Ducts

[methylethyl]

Protip: if your dryer vent goes under your floor for a ridiculous distance before venting out of the house, there are relatively inexpensive drill-attachment tools that can help you get that clear.

Re: Clean Dryer Ducts

[teresa_from_hershey]

You may ALSO discover, if you can remove the bottom panel, that even when you keep the lint filter clean, clean out the ductwork leading to the outside, AND use one of those super-long brush gizmos to reach deep inside the lint filter area, the area UNDER the drum is packed with lint.

The blower unit gets packed full too!

Lint gets everywhere inside a dryer. No exceptions that we've found.

In our experience, a dryer needs more cleaning and maintenance than the manual indicates. You've got to clean everywhere.

The easy to reach ductwork should be done every year or so, annually if you use your dryer a lot.

Remove the bottom panel to access everything else every few years. Annually, if you use your dryer daily.

Dryer fires are a real safety hazard.

Re: Clean Dryer Ducts

[athaia]

Yes, and all that lint are fibers that's now missing from your garments. Dryers are really hard on clothes. For that reason, and to save on my electricity bill, I've decided against replacing mine when it broke. I line-dry now, on my balcony in warm weather, and in my bedroom when it's too cold or damp outside.