As a homeowner, it’s important to understand how to prevent dryer fires to keep your home and family safe. Each year, an estimated 16,000 dryer fires occur, resulting in severe property damage, injury, and even death. Fortunately, preventing these fires is fairly straightforward. Discover how to avoid hazardous dryer fires through regular maintenance, cleaning, proper installation, and mindful use of your dryer.
Table of Contents
Regular Maintenance and Cleaning
The best way to reduce the chances of your dryer catching fire is through proper maintenance and cleaning. One major cause of dryer fires is failing to empty the lint trap. A dirty lint trap can cause the dryer to overheat by blocking airflow, which can eventually result in the lint igniting. To avoid this, empty the lint trap before or after every load you run — this will also help your clothes dry faster.
Like all machines, your dryer requires regular maintenance to operate safely and efficiently. The dryer duct, which redirects dryer exhaust out of your home, can also become clogged with lint and debris over time. While it’s possible to clean the ducts yourself, it’s best to contact a professional to handle this task to ensure the complete removal of any obstructions.
Proper Installation and Venting
Another potential cause of dryer fires is improper installation of the dryer and its vent system. A dryer vent that doesn’t directly lead outside can quickly become a serious fire hazard. If the vent falls out of position, it can cause exhaust to fill crawl spaces, walls, and other areas of the home. Depending on the materials in the area, this can eventually cause a fire.
When installing a dryer, it’s also vital to install lint traps in the correct spaces along the exhaust vent, which helps prevent excessive buildup from blocking airflow and creating a fire hazard.
Safe Operation Practices
Beyond cleaning the lint trap and ensuring a good installation, it’s important to follow some best practices to protect yourself from the risk of a dryer fire. Some items should never be put in a dryer, such as towels or clothing that have been coated in cooking or motor oil. These oils can heat up enough to combust in your dryer, causing a dangerous, hard-to-control fire.
Other things to keep out of your dryer include:
- Certain plastics
- Most kinds of rubber
- Many synthetic foams
Also, it’s important to avoid overloading your dryer. Filling the dryer to the brim with clothing, towels, and bedding may seem like a good way to shorten the task of doing laundry, but this actually contributes to the risk of a dryer fire. Overloaded drums can’t circulate the hot air properly, causing it to overheat and eventually burn the contents.
Watch for smoky or burning smells while running your dryer. If you notice this scent, stop the dryer immediately and investigate the cause. Clear the lint trap and make sure the drum isn’t overloaded before resuming. Also, be sure to pay attention if your clothes are coming out wet after a full dry cycle — this is a telltale sign of a blockage in the lint traps or exhaust vent, which means a high risk of a dryer fire.
We recommend running the dryer only when you’re home and awake. Leaving it running while you’re sleeping or outside the house dramatically raises your risk of a dryer fire becoming an out-of-control blaze.
Fire Safety Technology and Devices
When you know how dryer fires start, you’ll realize that prevention is actually straightforward. Investing in fire safety technology and devices helps reduce the likelihood of a laundry room inferno.
It’s a good idea to install a smoke detector near the dryer. Statistically, a fire is more likely to break out in the laundry room than almost anywhere else in the home, except the kitchen. Therefore, having a modern, working smoke detector in this area can be a literal lifesaver in case of a dryer fire. All homes should also have at least one working, up-to-date fire extinguisher in an accessible area.
Emergency Preparedness
To ensure you’re ready to respond promptly and properly to an emergency, such as a dryer fire, it’s important to maintain a few key safety practices and preventative measures.
Test your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors at least once a month so they’re ready to sound an alarm in case of a fire. Create an evacuation plan and ensure that your entire family understands what to do in the event of an emergency. Take the time to teach kids about fire safety and emergency preparedness, so they know how to exit the home in case of a fire and to never re-enter a burning building. Ensure your evacuation plan also accounts for any pets in your household.
What To Do After a Dryer Fire
In the event of a dryer fire, you’ll probably feel overwhelmed as you assess how to address the damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may only need a new dryer. However, in more severe cases, you might require home repairs and fire and smoke restoration services. Rather than trying to figure out the next steps on your own, consider contacting fire restoration experts for assistance.
Contact Restorerz for Fire Damage Services
Even a small fire can be a major disruption. If your family has recently experienced a fire in your home, you need a trusted restoration service you can rely on to remediate the damage and restore your space to its normal state. Restorerz is one of the foremost Los Angeles & Las Vegas restoration companies, helping countless families return to their normal day-to-day routines. Contact us today for comprehensive restoration services following a fire in your home.