Doing laundry is a normal, everyday job, and Grand Forks Fire & Rescue wants to help you do it safely. Deputy Fire Chief Richard Piche says the main issue is not properly maintaining dryers. He says to clean your lint filter before and after each load. This as the material is highly flammable, and can otherwise build-up in the duct.
Piche says you can inspect the duct yourself if you can access it, plus you can clean it with a vacuum:
“It’s when you forget and it builds up over years and years, so it’s just a good maintenance to keep that duct clean at least once a year, or if you find that your clothes are taking longer than normal those are tell-tale signs something’s wrong.”
Your dryer sounding different or getting hotter than normal are other signs that it needs to be inspected. Not cleaning them is the leading cause of home clothes dryer fires.
He says clothing items that came in contact with anything flammable should be dried outside:
“Make sure you dry those out outside so the solvent’s completely dried right off the clothes, and then wash your clothes, don’t take it and throw it straight into your…. say it gets wet and you’re like ‘oh I just need to dry this fuel off’ that’s the last thing you want to do.”
Piche says he recommends a metal hose over a plastic one:
“That plastic stuff can melt really easy if it gets hot, and it’ll also create a space right so now the air and that moisture will go in your house and then you have a whole other problem, you have a mold problem, so if you do notice it’s the white plastic kind get it changed out with the ridged flexible metal.”
You should also ensure the air exhaust vent pipe isn’t restricted, and the outdoor vent flap will open when the dryer is on. Dryers should be grounded, and not surrounded by flammables such as boxes or cleaning supplies. You should always follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions, don’t overload your dryer, and don’t leave it running while asleep or away from home.