While your clothes tumble around in the dryer, they are contributing to an accumulation of lint and dust in the dryer's ductwork. Heat from your dryer can set that accumulation of lint on fire. Dryer ducts typically need to be cleaned about twice a year and sometimes more if your household does an excessive amount of laundry.

Nearly 17,000 home clothes dryer fires are reported each year that cause around 51 deaths and $236 million in property loss. The leading cause of these fires, at 34%, is the failure to clean dryer vents.

Source: National Fire Protection Association