Lint trap is easy. Exhaust ducts are the real danger. Not only can lint build up in those, but critters like birds and mice can make nests in them which further blocks the airflow. Even if you have the outside vent gated off, they can get stuck open enabling access for critters into the duct. Clean out your ducts at least once a year.

Houses have furnaces now?

My last house I lived in for like 5 years and never found the furnace filter... I'm convinced it just didn't have one and the system was raw-dogging the dusty air. I checked the air return vent where I am used to them being, and I checked the furnace in the garage closet. I am glad I moved out before that became a problem...

My Girlfriends aunt complained about her dishwasher not Wirkung properly the other day, GF asked Ehen was the last time you cleaned the filter? Aunt was linke the WHAT? She has owned dishwashers for 30+ years and never heard oft that.

“Why does it take 3 hours to dry my clothes when it used to take 40 minutes?” Or “why aren’t my clothes drying at all?”

Thise seems like it’s one or two loads away from house fire territory.

Newer machines will stop drying if the sense the filter is too full. Helpful for if you forget when doing a bunch of laundry, but if the sensor goes faulty, it'll be throwing errors regardless of how clean the duct or filter is.

I'm also wondering "my what" upon hearing about furnace filters. As far as I can tell, my furnace has none. The "filter" is the size of the hole I chuck logs through. If log too big, it no go in.

I saw one of these posts about ten years after buying a washer/dryer. So I checked mine. Absolutely nothing in it. What the hell are these people washing? Vacuum cleaner bags?

Now do the sacrificial anode in your water heater.