Laundry fires can be deadly. One of the least-known causes of these fires is spontaneous ignition of laundry, which can happen before, during, or after the wash and dry cycles. This bulletin explains the hazard, explores the factors that increase the risk, and discusses how to reduce the risk.
Yes, clothes can catch on fire in the dryer.
This happens when the lint builds up inside the dryer and ignites. The best way to avoid this problem is to check the lint trap regularly for build up. If you find any lint buildup, remove it immediately.
Overdrying clothes causes them to shrink, and not only the first time they're washed. Sleeves and pant legs continually get shorter and shorter when machine-dried improperly.
If the only “wet" is water, you won't have to worry. If they're shopping wet with oil, alcohol, or benzene or other dry cleaning fluid, you might have reason to worry. not unless the clothes are soaked in fuel.
Cooking is the leading cause of home fires in the United States, starting almost half of all fires. Heating is the second highest cause, followed by electrical systems/lighting equipment and intentional fires. Smoking is the fifth highest cause, but is the leading cause of civilian home fire deaths.
These fires are often due to faulty or overtaxed wiring or malfunctioning lighting,6 but bedroom fires also start with cords, space heaters, or electric blankets. Bedding, carpeting, draperies, and other creature comforts of your bedroom are often the first items ignited in a fire.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that dryers and washing machines cause an average of 15,970 fires each year, with dryers causing 92% of them and an average of $200 million in property damage.
Dirty lint filters and dryer vents
Clogged dryer vents, ducts, and filters are the primary causes of dryer fires.
The most common cause of a burning smell coming from your dryer is when the lint filter gets clogged. This not only causes a burning smell, but it's also extremely dangerous, as it can start a fire. Most manufacturers recommend that you clean the filter out after every use to avoid this from happening.
Clothing Dryers
A dryer should never run when you are not home or while you are sleeping in case of a fire. More than 15,000 dryer fires break out each year. For more dryer tips consult our blog on how failure to clean your dryer could cause a house fire.
In general, you can leave your wet clothes for a maximum of eight to twelve hours, according to an expert from the Whirlpool Institute of Fabric Science.
It is okay to leave clothes in the dryer overnight provided you dry them first. Otherwise, you can get mold if you leave them wet. The next morning, before taking the clothes out of the drier, just give them a few minutes of tumbling to get out some of the wrinkles and make it easier to iron if necessary..
Move any flammables like cleaning supplies far away from your dryer. Also regularly sweep out dust in the areas around and underneath your dryer. Opt for a solid metal dryer duct. Research shows that flexible foil or plastic ducts can sag and lead to lint buildup at low points.
The brands affected are Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit tumble dryers but some other related but lesser-known brands are affected too (see below). They are all part of the same manufacturing group (Whirlpool).
But even with these preventative steps you should clean your dryer vents at least once every 12 months to remove the lint and debris and prevent clogs! If you don't want to do it yourself - hire a Dustless Duct professionals to take care of dryer vent cleaning.
The Advantage To Dryer Sheets
Aside from leaving fabrics smelling fresh and feeling soft, dryer sheets provide an important safety service. They help eliminate static on clothing. Static can cause dryer fires if a spark ignites debris in the lint trap. (An important reason to keep the lint trap clean.)
Lint is the leading cause of dryer fires. It's highly flammable, and it's everywhere. Lint naturally accumulates in your dryer and dryer exhaust system. This buildup makes the dryer work harder for each load and the lint can work its way into the heating element, which is bad news.
Don't leave appliances unattended – don't turn the tumble dryer on before you leave the house or go to bed. Tumble dryers contain powerful motors with fast moving parts that can get very hot. Keep your dryer well ventilated, make sure the vent pipe is kink free and not blocked or crushed in any way.
Dirty dryer vents are a leading fire hazard.
In 34 percent of cases, dirty dryer vents were to blame in causing the fires.
Home fires are more likely to start in the kitchen than any other room in the home. The second leading cause of home fires are heating sources like wood stoves, and fireplaces.
December, January and February are the peak months for heating fires. Space heaters are the type of equipment most often involved in home heating equipment fires, accounting for one-third of the fires, as well as the vast majority of deaths and injuries in home fires caused by heating equipment.
You can't smell these fumes, so if you are asleep the smell won't wake you – but a smoke alarm will. Unlike fires in the movies, the smoke from a house fire can be so thick that your house would be completely dark in 4 minutes, even with all the lights on!
Ranges and Stoves
By far, ranges are the most common cause of kitchen fires. Electric ranges are at a greater risk than gas ranges to be the culprit of a kitchen fire. Grease fires can happen quickly on a cooktop and can get out of control quickly.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, approximately 24% of cell phone fires are caused by improper charging or use of incompatible chargers.