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Simple maintenance can extend the life of your dryer and most importantly protect your home. Many people dont realize that the lint trap on their dryer only catches about 25 percent of the lint from laundry. The remaining lint travels through the ventilation system, clogging the vents. That is why it is important to have the dryer vent cleaned routinely.

A dryer vent that is clogged with lint has a number of disadvantages. When the vent is clogged, air cannot move freely through the vent system, causing the dryer to run less efficiently. This directly results in higher utility costs and decreasing the life of your dryer. Furthermore, a poorly maintained ventilation system can be a potential hazard, as lint that has collected in the system can become hot when the dryer is operating, igniting the lint.

If you suspect that your dryer may not be operating optimally, consult with an appliance repair expert. They will be able to assess your dryer and determine if the ventilation system is the problem. Often, people will assume that the decrease in performance of their dryer is an indication that the appliance is in need of repair or replacement, said Dana Smith, owner of Mr. Appliance of West Central Ohio. However, the issue can sometimes be as simple as a dryer vent that is clogged.

Smith recommends always conferring with an appliance specialist, as they can give a full picture of what is wrong with your appliance. It is also recommended to schedule yearly dryer vent cleaning to be sure to keep the vents clear of accumulating lint.

Also, be sure to ask about the process used for dryer vent cleaning. There are several options for cleaning dryer vents and some options can clean your dryer vent as quickly as 30 minutes without anyone ever having to enter your home.

For more information on dryer vent cleaning click here or contact your local Mr. Appliance.

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Clogged Dryer Vents: an Unnecessary Home Hazard

View Larger Legacy of neglect landlord project See More

In a four-part series, The Dispatch examines neglected properties and neglectful owners. See stories, video and more.

The owner of a crime-plagued apartment building in Franklinton that the city boarded up last week plans to improve security there and reopen.

The buildings owner, Interstate Construction of Grove City, has no plans to sell, said the companys attorney, Erica Probst.

She said the companys president, Dwight Douglas Kincaid, has owned the 17-unit building at 398-404 S. Central Ave. for 30 years but didnt know about the claims in the citys complaint, including drug use and drug dealing.

Probst said the issues that led to the city shutting down the building came about in recent months.

Dispatch special report: Legacy of Neglect

City prosecutors and the owner agreed last week to remove the residents and close the building until Franklin County Environmental Judge Dan Hawkins hears the citys request for a permanent injunction on June 15.

We agreed to the property shutdown so my client could investigate the allegations and make sure the tenants were safe and secure, Probst said.

She said Kincaid will work over several months to see how he can boost security, including hiring a guard and installing cameras, hiring a new property-management company and possibly starting a neighborhood watch.

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Owner of boarded-up Franklinton apartment building promises to improve security

K.C. Kappen and Rachel Ballard believe that renting a place to live "simply makes sense," given their current situation.

Kappen, 26, a junior account executive for social media and public relations with the Brownstein Group in Philadelphia, arrived here with Ballard, 25, from Southern California in June.

Ballard will finish graduate school in the next 18 months, Kappen said, "and I'm in the beginning stages of my professional career." Renting "gives us a chance to weigh our options and see what areas of Philadelphia we prefer."

Thousands of other millennials have come to the same decision, for a variety of financial reasons, so rental apartments continue to fill a growing housing need in the Philadelphia region.

And that boom has given a shot in the arm to the regional economy, $14 billion in 2013 alone. For the United States as a whole, the economic contribution was $1.3 trillion.

A study by George Mason University's Stephen S. Fuller for the National Multifamily Housing Council and the National Apartment Association showed that 544,300 people, or 9 percent of the Philadelphia area's population, live in its 321,200 rental apartment units.

Thirty-four percent of those apartments are in buildings of 50 or more units, Fuller said.

While single-family-home building still lags, multifamily rental construction accounted for 49 percent of building permits issued in the region in 2013, valued at nearly $367 million, he said.

Spencer Yablon, senior vice president for capital markets/multifamily at CBRE Group in Wayne, said apartment fundamentals remain good and support "near-term growth."

HARTFORD A squatter who police say accidentally set fire to a vacant four-story building at Main Street and Albany Avenue Thursday morning was ordered held on $100,000 bail after his arraignment on charges of reckless burning and criminal trespass.

Kenneth Onalty, 46, had been living in the building for several months and on Thursday set some papers on fire to keep warm, according to a statement he gave to police. He insisted, however, that he extinguished the fire, the statement said.

Firefighters were called to 1363 Main St. about 3:45 a.m. and when they arrived had to rescue Onalty from the building's second floor. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation, and later charged.

The fire heavily damaged the building, forced police to close surrounding streets through the evening rush hourand also closed Capital Preparatory Magnet School, which is across Main Street from the building. Students could not reach the school because the street was shut down.

City spokeswoman Hilda Muoz said Thursday afternoon that the city hired Environmental Services Inc. of South Windsor to demolish the building. Crews set up fencing around the site and planned to remove a billboard atop the building Thursday night. The building is scheduled to be demolished Friday, she said.

The 1890s brick building is part of a block of existing structures the city hopes will be renovated now that development in the nearby Downtown North area is underway. Downtown North, on the edge of downtown, will feature a minor league baseball stadium, apartments, a supermarket and a brewery. Construction on the stadium began in February.

During his arraignment Thursday afternoon in Superior Court, Onalty became angry about the bail set in his case, discussions about his mental health and the reckless-burning charge filed against him.

"Excuse me your honor, there's nothing wrong with my mental health," Onalty said. He insisted that he had nothing to do with the fire, which he said began on the building's third floor, not the second floor where he was staying.

"I'm here for trespassing, that's it," he said.

When Judge Joan K. Alexander set bail at $100,000, Onalty became even more angry and yelled and swore. Marshals escorted him out of the courtroom, and an unfazed Alexander ordered that Onalty undergo a competency evaluation.

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Squatter Charged In Fire That Destroyed Hartford Building