Monday, May 21, 2018

Signs that your Dryer Vent is Clogged

Modern front load tumble dryer, pictu...
Modern front load tumble dryer, picture taken by Rick Harpenau (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Dryer vents are seemingly innocent parts of our home that can hide a dangerous secret. If not regularly cleaned out, the lint that accumulates in the dryer vent can result in a dryer fire. While the safety aspect is the most important, a blocked dryer vent causes a slew of other problems. It wastes energy, which increases your energy bills, and can take a toll on the dryer, causing it to fail prematurely. But how do you know when your dryer vent needs to be cleaned? The following telltale signs will alert you before a catastrophe happens, as well as save you time and money.

  • Clothes Take Longer to Dry
    A clogged dryer vent makes it more difficult for the laundry to dry in the timeframe that you’re used to. You may even have to run multiple cycles just to dry one load of laundry. This is typically the first sign that a dryer vent needs tending. When the vent is blocked with lint, the moist and hot air that the dryer is designed to vent will get stuck inside the dryer making it harder for the machine to work properly.
  • Dryer and Clothing are Extremely Hot
    It’s not uncommon for the outside of the dryer and the clothing inside to be hot. But when the dryer and the clothing are too hot to touch, that’s a big sign that the machine isn’t venting properly, which generally means the vent and dryer ducts are blocked.
  • You Smell Something Burning
    If you notice a smell like something is burning when your dryer is running, it’s probably lint. This lint can build up in the lint trap, exhaust tube, and drum casing. And when it starts to get hot, the chances of it catching fire increases. You really want to take care of your clogged dryer vents before the problem gets to this point.

Call the Professionals
While it’s fairly easy to clean out the dryer vent yourself, the dryer vent ducts are a bit more difficult and should be inspected by a professional dryer vent cleaning Pasadena MD company. In fact, most experts recommend having your dryer vent ducts inspected and cleaned annually.

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

A Visit to the City

There are many great cities in the world with a wealth of different experiences to offer. Paris is known as the City of Lights and it offers a range of art and cultural attractions. London offers great theater and a sense of Victorian charm, while Rome has centuries of art to take in, along with incredible food. New York City, however, is a place that has something extra to offer visitors of all kinds. New York is a vibrant and vital place that offers a huge range of art, culture, and architecture to take in, along with amazing entertainment and a special kind of verve that’s unique to this amazing American city.

Entertainment in New York

Many people come to New York to take in the amazing entertainment that’s unique to this city. A quick review of Broadway play reviews shows the range of choices tourists can choose from when they visit Manhattan. The Broadway stage offers amazing dramas headlined by major stars, as well as incredible musicals like the recent revival of “Hello, Dolly!”

The Vital New York Cabaret Scene

For those who enjoy seeing entertainment on a more intimate scale, the New York cabaret scene is also a great attraction. These shows take place in smaller venues, and they offer a chance to see great singers and comedians up close. These shows also offer food and drink to go with the show, which adds to the fun.

Galleries Galore

For those who love visual art, New York has a wealth of amazing museums to visit, including The Whitney Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are also many galleries in areas like Soho and Greenwich Village, and a visit to these areas makes for a great afternoon in the city.

Without a doubt New York is one of the great cities in the world, so be sure to add it to your list of must-see places to visit.


All that and no mention of the M&Ms Store! I've been to New York City once - on a weekend trip with the high school band - so our focus was a bit different. We toured Radio City Music Hall where we met one of the Rockettes, visited a museum, toured Carnegie Hall, roamed 5th Avenue, and took the ferry to Ellis Island and Liberty Island. Overall it was a fun, if exhausting, trip. Maybe it's time for another trip? I would really love to see a Broadway show. Or two.

Monday, May 14, 2018

Let's Fight Hunger Together

I was looking through my ibotta app (for once before I go to the store) to see if there are any good rebates available. There's one for Gold Peak tea that looked good, and that's where I read that Gold Peak is partnering with Feeding America to help provide meals for people in need. Simply text GIVE to 26739 - and they will donate $1 to Feeding America.

And, you can text every day through the end of June, which means your texts can add up to a lot of donations.  Message and data rates may apply, but if your phone plan is anything like ours, you've probably got unlimited text messages available, so why not use some of them for good? I'm thinking of setting a reminder on my phone so I don't forget to text every day...

For more information and to see how you can support your local food bank - the 10 food banks with the most support will each get $1000 - visit https://www.goldpeakbeverages.com/give/