We all enjoy the convenience of our washer and dryer, and as long as we keep an eye on them, there's less to worry about.

One hidden piece of important maintenance is the dryer lint catcher, the dryer ducting tubes and the exhaust vent. While we empty the dryer's lint catcher with each load, the chute it protects with mesh needs periodic maintenance, along with the machines interior airways that lead to the exhaust duct work and outside vent opening.

A clogged air system or part of the air system not only reduces the efficiency of your dryer and dry times, but more importantly poses a serious fire hazard if left without inspection and professional cleaning.

Dryer duct work can become clogged to the point of "fuel build-up" that can catch fire from the dryer's heating element. A fire that starts inside the duct work is difficult to put out, since it is not accessible from the outside easily. And because so many of us leave the house with the dryer on, a fire could start and grow before it was discovered.

At Whit's Appliance, we see too many dryer ducts and venting systems that are dangerously clogged. The image on the left (top) is a section of clogged duct tubing and the left (lower) is a cleaned and safe duct tube. Call us for an inspection 406-580-3966..

—Whit's Appliance Repair in Bozeman, Montana

Whether your moving to a new location or rearranging appliances or heavy upright furnishings, the right dolly or hand cart is critical.

Smaller and lighter hand carts like the round-handled one on the left, are made to move a small and light load of boxes. The green and larger dolly shown here is built especially to move appliances that are heavy, tall and may contain a lot of "top weight."

An appliance dolly is taller, heavier duty, comes with wrap straps and sometimes gravity conveyor wheels to aid the movement up and down stairs and other obstacles.

The bottom line is, if you're moving an appliance, use an appliance dolly!

—Whit's Appliance Repair in Bozeman, Montana

Even though "outside" is the place to be for kids, more and more children are spending a lot of time indoors (not just because of the cold Winter) and not all of that time is in front of a flat panel TV, iPad, iPod, game player or computer. Kids will be kids and exploring the house and all the uncommon rooms and basement is a rite of passage.

For the little ones in your household, safety is a constant concern and one of the most dangerous places in a house can be the laundry room. Bleach, cleaners and laundry liquids and powders can be easily ingested by a child if left in an easily-accessible location or level. Keep your laundry chemical supplies out of reach of the little ones.

And believe it or not, the laundry machines themselves pose a potential danger. Most parents can't imagine their child wanting to crawl inside the dryer or stand inside the washing machine, but we've heard of it happening, and more than just a few times. Even an older dryer or washing machine has enough power to tumble or spin a child's weight, if that child has a curious accomplice.

—Whit's Appliance Repair in Bozeman, Montana