Northern Nevada homes contributed to a world record-breaking ball of lint.

Franchises with Dryer Vent Wizard from all over the country sent their dryer lint to company headquarters this summer to make a 690-pound ball of lint; It was then set on fire to raise awareness about dryer fires.

"Dryer Vent Wizard is a world-record holding company," said Jeff Knudtzon, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard of Northern Nevada.  "One of the leading causes of fires in the country is an appliance fire caused by dryers -  over 15,000 a year."

Technicians at Dryer Vent Wizard say you should get your vents checked every two to five years.

"Mainly what happens is the lint builds up in the hose, it goes down underneath the floor and out the side and it clogs up in there and pretty soon it cant get out anymore," Knudtzon said.  "So that hot air in your dryer has nowhere to go.  Meanwhile, your dryer is saying the clothes aren't dry, and it can either burn your dryer out or cause a fire."

Some homes, especially older ones, aren't vented properly or are still using older hoses no longer up to code.

"They used to use this old vinyl hose," Knudtzon said.   "It's cheap, flexible and it's no longer code, hasn't been for quite some time, because it traps the lint inside and tears really easy especially after a couple of years, it starts getting really brittle and it can get completely blocked."

There are some things you can do to reduce your risk.

"You don't want to run a dryer when you're not home or after you go to bed," Knudtzon said.   "You have  a heating element, flammable lint, and all dryers leak to some extent."

You can vacuum that lint out from underneath the dryer.  Most importantly, clean the lint screen after every load.  

"This catches all the larger stuff," Knudtzon said.   "So you can see if you don't clean this, it will build up.   If you use dryer sheets, periodically clean them with dish soap because those can leave a film."

More information: https://www.northernnevadadryervent.com/reno-nevada-dryer-vent-cleaning

Â