Simple Steps To Keep Your Vents Pest Free
- Seal any
possible entryway
- Place
screens over chimney vents
- Store
food properly
- Get rid
of waste appropriately
- Keep
your house clean and tidy
On cold days, such as these, there is nothing that will make you feel better than putting on your favorite sweater or grabbing your cozy warm blanket fresh out of the dryer while it’s still nice and warm. Unfortunately, rodents and pests enjoy the warmth that your dryer brings just as you do. For these critters, a dryer vent is the perfect place to wait out the cold weather and keep warm.
All homes that have a dryer vent inside have a vent on the outside to release the heat. If the outside vent is worn out, damaged or is collapsing, pests and critters can easily get inside. Once they have entered, they will chew their way into the tubbing that connects to the dryer and soon they will be inside your home.Signs That Rodents And Pests Are Surrounding Your Dryer Vent
- Strange
noises such as squeaking or scratching
- Clothes
are taking longer than usual to dry
- Stench
odors
- Finding
small rodent droppings
- Worn out
or broken vent covers on the outside dryer vents
Why Should You Get Rid Of Them?
If any type of rodent or pest is invading your dryer vent you will be dealing with various problems. Your dryer’s performance will decrease if the vent of the dryer is being blocked by a nest, mouse or any kind of rodent debris, increases the risk of catching a disease that these rodents can transmit, the terrible smell that these rodents can give if they die, not to mention the risk of a fire hazard.
Are pests and critters getting into your home through your dryer vents and you don’t know how to get rid of them? Pest control companies will charge a large fee to get rid of rodents and pests by alluring the area and placing a screen over the dryer vent (is known to cause a fire instead of preventing one), nevertheless there are steps you can take to avoid the need of pest control.
- Make sure the flaps on the outside of the dryer are lint free, clean and can open and close with no problem.
- Make sure the flaps are leveled to sit along the vent cap and are not breaking or collapsing.
- If the dryer vent cap looks worn out you should replace it
- Consider purchasing a pest control vent cap to get rid of them