Have you done every possible measure to keep your home safe from household fires? Not if you haven’t considered dryer vent cleaning. There’s a hidden danger in your home and it takes the form of all the lint that builds up in your dryer after each cycle. And we are not just talking about the lint on filters and lint traps. It’s inside your dryer chassis, vent pipes and in between crevices of the appliance’s interior parts. Arm yourself with knowledge and be prepared to deal with this dangerous fire hazard inside your home or establishment. In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about dryer vents and household fires.
The Statistics of Household Fires due to Clothes Dryers
Numbers don’t lie and when it comes to dryer fires, there’s a brutally honest truth. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that every year, firefighters responded to 15,970 household fires involving clothes dryers and washing machines. Out of all those fires, dryers account for a whopping of 92% percent.
Casualties are also reported from these recorded dryer fires. 13 people die and 440 are injured from those affected by dryer fires every year. These numbers are accompanied by $238 million worth of damages.
“Not unexpectedly, dust, fiber, and lint (28 percent) and clothing not on a person (27 percent) were, by far, the leading items first ignited..” a similar report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) states.
Data released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) also presents lint accumulations as the largest known contributing factor to clothes dryer fires. This makes lint the silent yet deadly leading cause of most dryer fires that occur all over the country.
Clothes Dryer Fire Prevention
Homeowners aren’t helpless when it comes to clothes dryer fires. There are preventive measures that you can take to avoid this disaster from happening to your own home. Starting with cleaning your lint trap or filter. But don’t just stop there. A lot of the clothes dryer build-up in a clothes dryer is actually inside the chassis of the appliance. Lint blockage can also be pretty thick in the vent pipes. In which case, you will need the expertise of a dryer vent cleaning pro to clear these obstructions.
Other tips in preventing clothes dryer fires include the following:
- Replace accordion-type ducts made from plastic or foil with a metal duck that provides maximum airflow.
- Do not overload the dryer to prevent overheating during drying cycles.
- Minimize the amount of stains from gasoline, cooking oils or other volatile chemicals from clothes before washing and drying.
- Call for clothes dryer maintenance to replace missing loose or damaged parts.
Keep your home and family safe from dryer fires by following these instructions carefully. Read more about the dangers of clogged dryer vents from fire prevention agencies and participate in community efforts to prevent household fires. Most importantly, do your best to warn others and raise awareness regarding the dangers of lint build-up in dryers. Don’t just be a part of the statistics, do your part today.