The dryer, that fantastic ally that helps us have our clothes always ready, like all household appliances, needs maintenance to continue providing the excellent service it gives to the home (see Condenser tumble dryers the best friend of your clothes).

These devices are, along with washing machines, the most useful appliances in our homes. And it’s not because people become attached of them, or due to a lack of important innovations in this area. It’s because they are usually durable devices that can have a useful life longer than estimated if we care for them.

But we have news for you: they can’t do this on their own. No. Self-cleaning dryers don’t exist… yet. So, if you want to avoid relying on the sun and the weather to dry your clothes, get ready to take notes of the 3 steps that’ll help you keep this appliance as brand new.

3 steps, one goal: maintaining the dryer

Step 1. The filter

This is the most important component of both washing machines and dryers and therefore, you have to pay close attention to it. Ideally, in the case of the latter, you must clean the filter after each use. Forgetting to do so will affect the quality of the drying.

The procedure is very simple and implies removing the lint from it. In this sense, it’s highly recommended to pass a soft brush through it, after removing the lint from it at the end of the drying cycle, so that it’s completely clean for another day.

Step 2. The condenser

If your dryer has a self-cleaning heat pump and condenser, you can move on to the next step on our list, but if you don’t, then you should consult the instruction manual of your appliance to see if it includes information about the process.

And don’t worry if you don’t understand. We’ll explain it to you, it’s quite simple.

Basically, the process consists of first letting the dryer cool down and disconnecting it from the electrical outlet. Then opening the trapdoor where the condenser is located, and cleaning both the condenser and the lid that protects it with wet a cloth with water. After this is done, you must -once you dry both parts- place the condenser and trapdoor back in place making sure that the locking levers are tight, and voilà, you can move on to the next step.

Step 3. Humidity sensor

Created to measure the degree of humidity in clothing and check when it’s dry, it’s usually located at the bottom of the appliance door, next to the lint filter.

Cleaning the sensor is of the utmost importance because it accumulates both detergent residues from the garments and lime. Cleaning this sensor is a piece of cake. Made of stainless-steel, it must be cleaned with a coarse sponge, but not a metallic sponge, and without using abrasive products.

As you can see, this isn’t complicated at all. You just need to take the time to give a little affection to this appliance that sets the sun at home even if there are storms outside.