He Said It's My Job...

The dryer vent cleaner man came today. Our 3 year old state of the art dryer was taking too long to dry clothes, and Wifey called for a warranty appointment. We typically don't buy the extended warranties, since they're typically a rip off, but these new fangled washers and dryers looked mighty complicated, and cost as much as some new cars in the 1970s, so I bought the "extended protection."

Well, the warranty repair fellow came, and said that the washer was fine, but we had a lint problem! He didn't do lint vent clean outs.

So, Wifey called our trusty repair company Glinn's Appliances, and the fellow recommended a dryer vent cleaner. Glinn's, by the way, is out of the 1950s. The repairmen come on time, are courteous, and wear white uniforms with embroidered names like "Chuck," or "Biff." Even the Cuban guys have 1950s era appliance repairmen Anglo nicknames. Glinn's fixes stuff for a fair price, and recommend only great subspecialists.

So, back to the dryer vent cleaner guy... This man LIVES for lint cleaning. He removed the dryer, and immediately cleaned out what looked like 10 lbs of lint. He then showed me a common problem with modern design --the new machines' exhaust outlets are located higher up than the old ones, but most exhaust outlets are near the floor. Since solids (lint) settle, and steam rises, you have an inherent difficulty --and a built in recipe for lint build up disaster!

He then went on the roof, and sucked out even MORE lint!

He told me to have him over once/year, and I plan to. He explained that a dirty lint vent makes the dryer use more electricity, and subjects clothes to more wear and tear in the dryer as it takes more time to dry them. Also, lint from a clogged vent leaches into the house, carrying all of the laundry chemicals, like bleach, in the same way that asbestos fibers sickened even family members of workmen who were exposed.

I'm not joking here, and the lint man wasn't just trying to sell me an annual service. He really had a knowledge and passion for his work. I'm jealous of him.

As I age, I appreciate the beauty of those who love and take pride in their work. So many of my college educated contemporaries have jobs that pay well, but have ill defined goals and benefits. Even when I settle a case for a client, there are often mixed feelings --should there have been more money, was it the right thing to do?

When you're an employee in a large corporation, unless you buy into the whole myth of corporate culture ("I'm a barista, but an intergral part of Starbucks,") there isn't that much satisfaction.

The dryer lint vent man has left. I'll see him next year, and hopefully learn more about lint, and its properties. Meanwhile, he'll probably save 500 people money, and clothes wear and tear, and prevent lint fires, all the while going home each night satisfied.