Cleaning dryer vents is a serious task. Clogged vents not only mean longer drying times, but they’re also a top source of house fires. If you notice your clothes are taking longer to dry, it’s time to clean your dryer vents. Learn how with this guide.

What is a Dryer Vent?
A dryer vent is where heated water vapor and lint-filled air escapes the dryer. This air needs to be expelled outside due to excess moisture that would lead to mold and mildew growth if it was circulated back into your home. From the dryer vent, the air is moved through an aluminum or metal duct that safely leads to the outside exhaust vent of the home.

How Often To Clean Dryer Vents:
Household size, how frequently you do laundry, and laundry load sizes all play a role in how often your dryer vents should be cleaned. Since everyone’s situation is different, it’s safe to say that you should clean your dryer vents at least once a year.

Signs Your Dryer Vent is Clogged:
Extra Lint Buildup – If you’re noticing more and more lint build up between dry cycles in your trap filter, you’re due for a clean!

Excess Dry Times – If your laundry needs more time to dry, or it won’t fully dry, this is a sign of clogged vents. Drying a normal size load of laundry should take roughly 40 minutes.

Burning Smell – If you detect a burnt smell coming from your laundry room as a load runs, it’s time to clean! This burning smell means your dryer is clogged and has to work harder to dry clothes.

Hot and Humid Exterior – If you notice your laundry room feels more humid or that your dryer feels especially hot, this is a telltale sign of lint buildup. The heat and moisture sit in the dryer since it can’t exhaust through the vents. The heat is a dangerous warning sign that your dryer could catch on fire if it overheats. Also, don’t wait until the spring to clean your dryer vents, because more dryer fires occur in the fall and winter.

What You’ll Need:
After learning the basics of dryer vent systems and lint buildup, here’s what you’ll need to clean out your dryer vents:

Vacuum (and long hose attachment)
Bristle brushes with long flexible handles. Easily found in dryer vent cleaning kits
Gloves
Screwdriver
Dust mask

Step-by-Step Dryer Vent Cleaning

1. Remove and Clean Lint Trap Filter
Lint trap filters should be routinely cleaned before every dry cycle. Regular maintenance is an effective way to prevent lint buildup in your dryer. Clean the lint trap vent by wiping off all lint on the screen with a paper towel.

Additionally, dryer sheets can leave a residue on your lint trap filter that builds up with each cycle. If this is the case for you, clean the filter with a scrub brush and warm water with dish soap. Then, rinse off with water and dry with a fresh towel.

2. Vacuum the Lint Trap Housing
With the lint trap still removed, you can now clean the lint trap housing. This is where brushes from a dry vent cleaning kit come in handy. Using a long flexible brush, loosen any stuck lint in and around the opening. By gently twisting and rotating the brush, you’ll be able to get out tough to reach clumps of dirt. If you’re asthma or allergy-sensitive, we recommend you wear a face mask while you clean so you don’t breathe in dust and lint.

During this process, you can also use a vacuum with a long brush attachment to clean lint after you loosen it up. You can also use the vacuum to clean off the brush bristles. Repeat these steps until there’s no more lint.

3. Disconnect the Dryer
Start by unplugging your dryer’s energy cord. Or, turn off the gas valve if you own a gas dryer. Then, pull the dryer about a foot away from the wall. Next, disconnect the valve clamp from the back of your dryer. This could require unscrewing the clamp with a screwdriver. Some clamps can just be simply pulled off by removing any tape. Now, remove the end of the duct that connects to the exterior wall. Similar to the step above, this may require a screwdriver or it could be as simple as removing taping around the vent.

4. Brush Out Back of Dryer
Wearing gloves, remove lint from the back opening of the dryer. Then, take another long, flexible brush to loosen and remove all stubborn lint. Vacuum inside with a brush attachment to extract lint as well as cleaning off the brush bristles as you go. Repeat brushing and vacuuming as needed until the back of the dryer is clear.

5. Brush Out the Duct
Brush out the duct with a long, bristle-brush to loosen the trapped lint. Push the long coiled brush all the through the duct until it reaches the other side. Then, pull out the coiled brush out on the other side. Repeat this step several times to push out as much lint from the duct as possible.

Note: If you have rigid, flexible ducts made of aluminum, it’s recommended to replace it with smooth-walled metal ducts. Rigid interiors actually make it easy for lint to get trapped in the grooves of the duct.

6. Brush Outside Exhaust Vent
Next, go outside and unscrew the exterior vent cover from your home. Vacuum and brush from the outside as you did for the inside. Be sure to clean and brush off the vent cover as well.

Pro Tip: Place a trash can underneath the vent that leads to the outside. This will catch most lint that falls and make it easier to vacuum up after.

7. Reattach Ductwork
After cleaning all of the openings and vents, it’s time to reattach the ductwork. Before reattaching, be sure to check that your duct is intact and no damage was done. Then, tighten the duct to the dryer and the outside clamp with a screwdriver. Next, seal the duct to both areas using flexible foil duct tape. Avoid using regular plastic duct tape because it dries out over time.

8. Reconnect Dryer
Finally, move the dryer back toward the wall, plug it in or turn the gas valve back on, and voila! Your vents are now clean and your dryer is back to working safely and efficiently.

If you’re still not comfortable cleaning dryer vents on your own or want the most thorough clean, it’s time to call the pros. Stanley Steemer offers a number of services for your duct systems such as dryer vent cleaning, air duct cleaning, and exhaust fan cleaning. Call 1-800-STEEMER to schedule your services today!

SAMI-Aid, a patient-focused telemedicine platform and healthcare concierge company that offers on-demand access to medical professionals of a variety of specialties, including pediatrics as well as mental and behavioral health, recently hosted a free webinar offering positive parenting advice amidst the coronavirus pandemic. The webinar aimed to aid parents in knowing the signs of mental health issues and identifying resources to help children navigate mental health issues they are experiencing.

“Since the coronavirus pandemic began, SAMI-Aid has seen increased demand for telehealth behavioral and mental health services, both for adults and juveniles,” said John Farhangui, CEO and Founder of SAMI-Aid. “This webinar in our Health Bites series was aimed towards helping parents manage their own stress to help them in dealing with the challenges their children are facing.”

Dr. Sara Heron, M.D., a board-certified child psychiatrist with Bay Area Clinical Associates, offered a variety of tips to parents, including:

• Manage your own stress. Kids see stress in their parents and internalize it. An effective way to manage stress is by getting enough sleep, making healthy dietary choices, getting regular exercise, spending time safely with friends and family, and participate in activities that you love.
• Challenge negative thoughts. Do not dismiss fears of a child, but do not accept them either. Parents can help children navigate negative thoughts by asking simple questions, such as “If your fears happened, would it be the worst thing in the world?” or “Are you sure that will happen, or could it turn out a different way?” Coping statements like “You can handle this,” and “This will pass,” can also help.
• Positive parenting starts with effective communication. Praise is a powerful way to show support for your child and encourage good behaviors. It is also important to employ empathic listening. If you do not understand why your child is behaving a certain way, sometimes it is best to ask them directly.
• Keep a consistent schedule or routine. It is absolutely okay to have free or spontaneous time for kids to be creative or do other activities, but it’s also important for kids to have a routine or schedule which they know will be followed. Work together to come up with family rules, including privileges and consequences, so that children fully buy in to the house rules.
• Balance screen time within reason. With online learning, communication, and activities, it can be challenging to determine an appropriate amount of screen time for your children. Watch for changes in your child’s behavior related to increased screen time to evaluate if a screen time diet should be considered.
• Do not forget to have fun. During stressful or challenging times, schedule fun activities and family time. These activities do not need to be extravagant; they can be simple such as watching a movie together, taking a walk, going for a drive, or cooking a meal together.

The full Positive Parenting webinar can be viewed on SAMI-Aid’s Facebook page. As an additional resource, SAMI-Aid created an infographic to help parents understand important information about childhood mental health including data on how prevalent the issue is in the United States, signs to watch for that may indicate a mental health disorder, and how parents can help their children. The infographic can be viewed here.

SAMI-Aid offers on-demand access to medical professionals of a variety of specialties, including pediatrics as well as mental and behavioral health. SAMI-Aid’s mental health professionals are highly vetted, licensed, and certified in various areas of mental health expertise. For more information, visit sami-aid.com.

About SAMI-Aid:

Founded in 2014, SAMI-Aid is an online healthcare concierge platform that features a searchable medical procedure pricing database, a dedicated call center for patient support, and 24/7 access to telemedicine doctors and nurses. Its platform is secure, HIPAA-compliant, user-friendly, and mobile-friendly, offering members 24/7 access to doctors and nurses, and exclusive medical pricing information which helps them save money on care. Based in San Jose, California, SAMI-Aid serves the entire US. The acronym SAMI stands for Smart Affordable Medical Information. For more information, visit sami-aid.com.

A new collaboration between Children’s of Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham is helping adolescent patients with chronic and complex childhood medical conditions transition to adult healthcare.

The Staging Transition for Every Patient (STEP) Program opens Sept. 2, in the Whitaker Clinic of UAB Hospital. The two initiatives included in STEP are:

• individualized transition planning for adolescent patients (beginning around age 14) with complex and chronic healthcare needs currently treated at Children’s of Alabama to prepare them for adult healthcare, and
• a primary care clinic that will serve as an adult medical home to facilitate referrals to specialists, ensuring timely uninterrupted transition and access to other support services including physical therapy, social work, nutrition and emergency planning.

“Children diagnosed with chronic conditions often need to continue managing these diseases into adulthood. Many of these conditions were historically associated with shortened lifespans – for example, cystic fibrosis, spina bifida, sickle cell disease – but now these patients have increased life expectancy due to treatment advances. Therefore, we see an increasing need to develop adult healthcare specialty clinics for these patients as they grow older,” said Carlie Stein, MD, lead physician and medical director for the STEP Program.

The program will help patients make the transition to an adult care model, including the transfer of responsibility for healthcare-related decisions from the parent or caregiver to the individual. “We will work with patients, encouraging them to practice the skills necessary to take responsibility for their own health – how to make appointments, how to get their medications from the pharmacy – as a way to foster their independence as they grow into adulthood,” said Betsy Hopson, program director.

Children’s and UAB already share staff and facilities, but the STEP Program is the first formal program of its kind in Alabama and the surrounding region. This transition of care ensures that patients are matched with primary care physicians who are prepared to handle complex medical conditions, because not all primary care physicians are experienced in treating chronic diseases stemming from childhood, and patients with chronic diseases don’t always need to see a specialist.

Patients can get a referral to the STEP Program from their Children’s specialist or their pediatrician. Patients with a complex or chronic disease of childhood and at least 18 years old can call the UAB Primary Care Access Center to schedule a new patient appointment with the STEP Clinic at 205-801-7474. To begin transition planning from the Children’s side, patients can contact Hopson at 205-638-5281.

The school year is going to look VERY different for Families, from one school district to another the only thing that seems to be the same, is that everything is different. Whether your school is in-person, hybrid, or virtual, it’s going to take some organizing to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here are some ideas to make your days a little easier, whether they’re at home, at school or somewhere in between!

Create a Morning Checklist:
Mornings can be rough, especially when it comes to getting up much earlier than they’ve been used to (SINCE MARCH,) sit down with your kiddo and figure out all of the tasks they need to complete each morning in order to be ready to walk out the door or get ready for their first virtual class. Breakfast, brush teeth, brush hair, get dressed etc… these tasks will vary based on the age of your child but can work with even the smallest students. Make a checklist on a poster board, magnetic board or whiteboard. You can post this in a couple of places around the house as a reminder. If your little ones can’t read, draw pictures. If one of their tasks is to make the bed, draw a picture of a bed. Brush teeth, draw a toothbrush… etc.

Create a homework/homeschool station: Have a designated spot for homework or for doing school from home, stock it with all of your homework/school day essentials.

Set up family inboxes: We have these in our kitchen, one for each child and one for family. We use it to keep school schedules, teacher information, papers that need to be signed, etc…  Make sure to go through these papers periodically throughout the school year (or even weekly) so they don’t accumulate and overflow.

Plan outfits in advance: This is one tip that makes every list you’ll see on the interwebs, because it’s a good one. Whether you have your kiddos pick outfits each night before the go to bed or on Sunday night for the entire week, this tip is a time saver. If your kids are doing virtual school, get them up and dressed, as much of a temptation it will be to stay in those jammies, getting them dressed will help them be more productive (and will look much better on those zoom classes! Also, many schools say they’ll be enforcing dress code and PJs are not allowed, make sure to check with your school for specific guidelines.)

Make your own lunch station: Portion out lunch items ahead of time and set up in baskets or bins for easy grab and go when kids are making their lunches. (also great for virtual learners, and grab and go snacks after school)

Family Calendar/Bulletin Board:
Sometimes it helps to have a centralized calendar up where everyone in the family can see what’s going on each week, In-school/Virtual Learning days, practice days, game schedules etc. We keep this up in the kitchen which is our coming and going spot and I’m sure everyone will pass by it several times each day.

Schedule a weekly “Clean Sweep:” Have everyone spend a pre-arranged 20 minutes each week cleaning, picking up and organizing their things for the week. Do this activity together as a family to help cut down on complaining.

What organizing tips have you implemented to keep everyone on track this school year?

Kids need at least 60 minutes of physical exercise every day for strong bones and muscles, high levels of self-esteem, and overall good health, according to a report by the CDC. Unfortunately, most kids have not been getting enough exercise over the past six months as a result of the lockdown in Birmingham. With school, sports and playtime ruled out, many kids have been spending their days at home sitting in front of screens and grabbing a snack every now and then. According to experts, this type of sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous over time to both the mental and physical health of your child. To prevent this, one of the best activities you can introduce to your child is cycling. Riding a bike is a fun way to get a full-body workout and under the current circumstances, it’s also the safest way to explore the great outdoors in Birmingham. Here’s how to get started.

Choosing your bikes 

If you want your cycling adventures to be fun and incident-free, each member of your family must have the right bike. When choosing a bike for your child, the first thing you need to pay close attention to is the size of it. A bike whose size doesn’t suit your child will be uncomfortable and hard to control, increasing the risk of an accident. Ideally, your child should be able to stand over the bike comfortably with both legs on the ground and the bike frame between them. There should also be an inch of clearance between your child and their bike’s frame to make it easier for them to get on and off. Another thing to consider is where you’ll be going cycling; for example, if you are going to a trail with lots of uphill sections, you’re better off bringing mountain bikes.

Picking a cycling location 

Birmingham has a lot of roads, paths, parks, and trails where you and your kids can go cycling, but not all of them are right for you especially when you have young kids. You want a place where the only thing you’ll have to worry about is cycling, which means avoiding public roads and heading to one of the many child-friendly bike trails in Birmingham such as the High Ore Line Trail, Horsecreek Trail, or Vulcan Trail. But, if you must use public roads, make sure that your child understands and follows all Birmingham cycling laws including staying on the right side of the road, obeying all traffic signs, and signaling turns.

Packing for your cycling trip 

To keep your child safe and happy throughout the trip, there are various items you’ll need to bring with you. First of all, helmets; Birmingham laws require all children below 16 years of age to wear helmets when cycling to prevent serious head injuries should they get into an accident. A few snacks and water bottles can also come in handy especially if you are cycling in places where there are no shops nearby.

Whether you are a Birmingham resident or a visitor, cycling with your kids is one of the best ways to get a full-body workout. On top of that, it allows you to explore some of the roads less traveled where you can find solace and respite during these trying times.