A recent NFPA (National Fire Prevention Association) study showed the danger of excessive dust, fiber, and lint in clothes dryers.
‘In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.”
“These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.”
“Most of these home fires involved clothes dryers (92%). The leading cause (31%) of home clothes dryer and washer fires was failure to clean.”
“The leading items first ignited in clothes dryer fires were dust, fiber, or lint (27%) and clothing (26%).”
The report recommended, “… long, thin brushes one can buy to make it easier to reach and remove lint in the vent pipe and around the drum. There are also dryer lint removal services. Have a qualified service person clean the interior of the dryer chassis periodically to minimize the amount of lint accumulation.”
Since obstructed dryer vents can exacerbate this problem, it is recommended that dryer vents be cleaned at least once a year, even more often for large families with lots of laundry.
