I want you to do something. Get some cotton balls and a long, thin object, like say, oh, a screwdriver, and use that screwdriver to push those cotton balls halfway down your throat. Wait a few minutes.
Can you breathe? I didn't think so.
You can remove them now.
That is what happens to your appliances when they get clogged with lint, fuzz, and dirt particles. They don't get air and then they can't breathe.
You see, lint is a very, very bad thing. It's the enemy of all things black, the filler of belly buttons, the inhibitor of good air flow, AND it can cause you to sneeze. And the worst thing is, other than getting some on your contact lens, is that it can cause you to have to spend a lot of money when you don't properly remove it from filters. How, you ask? Because the motors inside the appliances can overheat from reduced air flow and completely shut down. Duh, silly!
Now, I know that cleaning filters is not the glam idea of saving money that most people think about. Yes, I would MUCH rather hit a red dot clearance sale with an 'extra 75% off my purchases' coupon, but cleaning the lint from my household appliances could potentially yield a huge savings when compared to replacing the appliance because the motor burned up from lack of air flow.
Don't forget, there is a safety element, too. In extreme cases, reduced air flow can cause things to overheat so much that they could possibly catch on fire. Check out this article.
I'm sure most people know about proper lint removal, but there may be someone out there who is new to home maintenance-type things and lint removal might not be at the very front of their mind. Newlywed-type people. But it is important and it does fall under the heading of saving money. One of the best ways to save money is to not have to spend money to replace things that break. That's what I always say.
This is my dryer filter after approximately four loads of clothes. That's a lot of fuzz. That does seem like a lot of fuzz, actually. I wonder if this is an average amount or do we just have more than other people?
I gently pull it away from the filter...
...freeing it to breathe again. It's that simple.
If you really want to be thrifty, save all your lint in a bag, then when you've gathered enough, use it for stuffing a new throw pillow for your couch.
Don't stop at just your dryer. Anything that has a motor can collect lint. Keep those blow dryers clean. They are notorious for shutting off when they get too hot and the problem can usually be remedied by cleaning out the fuzz.
I just really felt I needed to address this topic. I have my reasons.
