Mom always told you never to leave the house with the clothes dryer running. It’s no wonder since “clothes dryers are associated with approximately 15,600 fires annually, resulting in 20 death and 370 injuries.” That’s a staggering statistic I’d rather not be a part of. Lint itself makes for an awesome fire starter—but let’s keep that to the campfire and s’mores, not your home.

Birds, Squirrels and Chipmunks, Oh My!

While you should systematically have your dryer venting system cleaned every couple of years, blockages from squirrels, chipmunks and birds are common culprits that decide their home is perfect inside of your vents. Not feeling the love? Oh, but that toasty lint is.

There’s a Silent Killer Out There, and Its Name is Lint

Blockages also happen when lint and debris bypass your lint housing assembly and accumulates up in the venting system. Even though you clean out your lint filter between each load, that’s still not good enough. The screen mesh lint filter still lets tiny particles through, eventually leading to buildup inside of your dryer. Like oil and water, lint and your dryer’s heating element are never a good mix especially when fire is involved. Then, on top of it all, your dryer ducts can get squished and crinkled between your appliance and wall, causing…you guessed it…buildup and clogs. Insufficient airflow causes your dryer to work harder, causing more wear and tear, and ultimately overheating, leading to a fire.

It’s pretty much impossible to know if your dryer is clogged or has insufficient airflow—in fact, it’s probably the least of our concerns that has absolutely devastating consequences. For the average family, we never think disaster will strike, that we’re part of the lucky ones. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Stop the madness.There must be a better way! Well, keep on reading, because there definitely is.

Live the Good Life with DrySafer

A simple and life-saving device, the DrySafer Dryer Lint Alarm was invented by an appliance repair expert to help customers prevent damage to their dryers, and ultimately home. The alarm monitors airflow and thus will alert you of hazardous conditions due to airflow restrictions, buildups, and clogs. The device detects airflow inside your dryer exhaust ducts. If airflow is not up to par, you’ll hear a warning signal to let you know there’s an issue aka get a professional out there to clean your dryer vents.

The device is composed of two parts: an Airflow Temperature Sensor (pictured left below) and an Alarm Module (pictured right below). As you can probably guess, the Airflow Sensor monitors your dryer’s airflow and temperature by connecting to the back exhaust duct on your dryer. If there are any air restrictions or temperatures exceeds 210°F, the Sensor alerts the Alarm, beeping at you if there's a clogged vent.

It’s All About the Twist, Baby

The dryer alarm is super easy to install and requires no tools for you to setup. The Alarm runs off batteries that’ll last you 3 years before you need to switch them out. Fitting any dryer, DrySafer twists on the back of your dryer’s exhaust pipe and takes up about 5 inches of room. Slap the Alarm Module on the wall, connect the two components together with a power cord, and you’re good to go. Get this, if you have dryer vents in between walls and ceilings, DrySafer has been tested with vents up to 65 feet in length. You can buy a DrySafer from these distributors. The price ranges from $55 - $70.

It’s Raining Dollar Bills, Ya’ll

According to DrySafer.com, “In less than a year of energy savings alone, DrySafer Dryer Lint Alarm has already paid for itself.” How does this work? Glad you asked. Let’s say you’re one of the lucky ones who dries 5 loads of laundry. With clean vents and a decent clothes dryer, this would cost you about $95 per year. The downside? If that dryer is clogged, you’re paying $165 a year. It’s like this—with proper airflow, drying times are quicker, and with restricted airflow, you’ll be drying the same laundry load for even longer while wrecking havoc on your dryer. DrySafer alerts you there’s a problem before there’s a big problem -- just in time to get a professional to clear out your venting system. This overall increases your dryer’s lifespan and energy savings minus the house fire.

Appliance and HVAC technicians need to inform their customers about this alarm. Seriously, just do it. It’s a life-saving-must-have-why-doesn’t-everyone-have-one kinds of things. Just sayin’. I have no direct affiliation with these guys and no moolah was given to me to tell you that either—this product is just that awesome.

While the device won’t do the laundry for you (aw, shucks) or extinguish a fire, DrySafer monitors your dryer’s performance before hazardous conditions turn into calling the fire department. I'd say it's pretty darn worth getting one (and would you look at that? Just in times for Valentine's Day).