Dirty Laundry, Nasty Fires

We never want to believe that our beloved appliances would betray us, however dryers have caused 4% of home fires from 2006-2010. Although a smaller percentage, dryer fires are still deadly and costs tens of thousands of dollars if no preventative action is taken.

Causes

Lint is a large culprit to nasty laundry fires. Lack of maintenance can lead to dirty lint traps, and lint build-up throughout the inside of your dryer.  Lint is highly combustible and claims thousands of homes to devastating fire. Laundry fires are also commonly ignited by dryer vent practices. If the vent is crushed between the wall and your dryer, if it has too many bends, or if the vent is too long, airflow can become restricted. When airflow is restricted in the vent, lint can accumulate causing the dryer to overheat. Another common cause of laundry fires is drying improper items such as tennis shoes, rugs or cooking oil and gasoline-soaked clothing. Check your dryer manual about items you can and cannot put in, and wash clothing twice if any chemicals/oils have spilled.

Prevention With 5 Easy Steps:

Prevention is easy, and could save you your home and wallet.

  1. Clean your lint filters after every use.
  2. Clean and inspect the duct, dampers and access covers quarterly.
  3. Vacuum the duct to eliminate lint.
  4. Wash the lint trap with warm soapy water to remove film buildup.
  5. Check to see if your dryer vent is bent or if it is too long for your dryer (length can be determined by the number of bends, and is determined by what make/model you own).

What To Do:

Keep a close watch on your laundry. Never leave your home while the dryer is running in case of emergency. If your clothes aren’t drying as fast as they used to, your dryer may be failing due to restricted airflow. Lastly, take notice if your clothing is coming out hotter than usual, because your dryer may be overheating. If you have suffered from a laundry fire, be sure to call Brock Restoration to help restore your home and appliances stress-free. Laundry fires are expensive and dangerous. Keep yourself and your family protected by regularly maintaining your dryer.