Tom's Blog
House fires happen all the time, and the origin of many home fires is due to clothes dryers. The fire can ignite due to clothing, lint, wire, cable insulation, fibers or the dryer drive belt, resulting in catastrophic damages to homes in the U.S. In fact, thousands of home clothes dryer fires are reported each year, causing an estimated 29 deaths, 400 injuries, and over $190 million in property loss. Don’t become a statistic; before you turn on your clothes dryer in your home, know some safety tips to prevent clothes dryer fires.
Don’t Let This Happen to You
Before leaving your house, you decide to go ahead and throw the wet clothes from your washer into your dryer. Failing to realize you just put your gasoline-soiled pants into the dryer, you turn the dial to high heat and leave. You get a frantic phone call after leaving your house, from a neighbor that your home is up in flames. The firefighters document that the clothes dryer was the origin of the fire and the pants that were saturated in spilled gasoline, ignited when exposed to the high temperature of the dryer. Now you are faced with damages to your home that exceed $60,000.
Some Basic Safety Tips to Follow
- Have your dryer installed and routinely inspected by a professional to ensure proper electrical outlets are used and plugs are connected correctly.
- Clean the lint tray before AND after each dryer use.
- Clean the dryer vent pipe every few months.
- Inspect clothing tags to ensure fabric is not flammable and follow drying directions. If the tag states to use low heat, never put the setting on high heat while drying.
- Do not put any clothes soiled with chemicals such as gasoline or alcohol or made of rubber into the dryer. When exposed to high heat, it may become flammable.
- Keep the area around the washer and dryer clean and free of debris, dust, lint, or flammables.
- If you are going away for an extended time, unplug or disconnect your dryer.
- Never leave your home or go to sleep while the dryer is operating.
- Use sturdy, metal ducts over foil or plastic ducts. Metal ducts are apt to reduce lint buildup, won’t droop, and most likely would contain any fire that ignites.
Protect Your Home
Your concern is safety in your home, while our concern is protection of your home. If you should experience a loss such as a fire, will you have the right type of N.C. homeowners insurance protection? If you wish to discuss your homeowners insurance policy or have questions about the insurance protection you have, feel free to contact us at 866-869-3335.
