Clothes Dryers can Catch Fire

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there are an average of 7,000 annual residential fire losses in which the source of the fire was in the clothes dryer or vent.

Dryers are the third most common type of equipment involved in fires, ranking behind stoves and fixed area heaters. Clothes dyers can catch fire due to excessive lint buildup in the exhaust pipe or inside the dryer; this lint buildup is often out of sight.

As a result, you should take the following steps to reduce the chance of your dyer starting a fire:

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions when installing the vent pipe.
• Keep the dryer vent clean and unplugged.
• When you change your clocks twice a year also clean the dryer vent.
• Periodically, check for a plugged vent, especially if the dryer does not dry clothes efficiently. 
• Remove and clean the lint screen before each use.
• Keep all combustibles away from the clothes dryer.
• Hire a qualified technician to periodically inspect gas clothes dryers.

For the safety of you and those you care about, take a moment to check your dryer vent.