Your clothes dryer is one of your most expensive appliances to operate; therefore, proper maintenance makes perfect sense to keep it running efficiently. Dryer vent cleaning is essential to maintaining efficient air-flow so your clothes dryer can do its job without overworking.

I'm not just referring to cleaning the lint screen after each load, even though this is very important. Some lint will escape the lint screen and build up in the duct and dryer vent system too. Remember, the lint is not all your dryer vent system is removing from your dryer. You may picture lint as a dry piece of fluff, but when it is removed from your dryer, along with heat and moisture from wet clothing, it is not dry and fluffy. It is moist; therefore, it can stick to the sides of your dryer duct where it dries to a hard paste and accumulates.

Dryer vent systems clogged with lint reduce air flow, causing your laundry to take 2 ? 3 cycles to dry, and increasing the amount of energy your dryer uses. Keeping the dryer vent system clean will reduce your energy bills. Here are some more ?green tips? for the laundry room.

Do only full loads of laundry

Separate laundry by weight, drying lighter weights separately

Use a clothing rod or clothesline to begin drying your clothes before putting them into the dryer to finish

Hire a professional dryer vent cleaning specialist at least once a year

Here's another great tip for those of you who enjoy novelty items. Have you ever heard of dryer balls to reduce static? Not only do they replace the chemical-laden dryer sheets that many people use, but they also quicken drying times as they agitate and separate your tumbling laundry. These balls are easy to make yourself with scraps of old wool yarn. First, wrap the yarn into a tight ball, about the size of a golf ball and secure the end of the yarn so that it cannot unravel. Place the ball into the end of an old nylon or sock and tie it shut with another piece of yarn. Use the ball in the washer and the dryer; the more you wash and dry the ball, the more firm and dense it will become. Now that you have formed a firm core, it's time to add the outer layer; wrap more wool yarn around it, tightly, until it's the size of a tennis ball. Throw these in with your laundry for softening and reducing static. A small sachet, filled with herbs or flowers will provide the added fragrance that you may miss by parting with your dryer sheets.

Gina Fazil is the owner of Dryer Vent Wizard, a dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation service. Gina provides a complete inspection of your dryer vent system while she explains in detail what she is doing and how it helps to keep your dryer operating efficiently and safely. Read Gina's new blog for more dryer vent cleaning and safety tips.