How Can I Prevent A Dryer Fire In My Donelson Home?

4/11/2022 (Permalink)

According to the National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), local fire departments responded to an estimated 1.4 million fires in the United States in 2020. These fires caused 3,500 civilian fire deaths and 15,200 reported civilian fire injuries. Property damage was estimated at $21.9 billion.

Clothes dryers caused a large portion of those home fires! Let's talk about some ways you can prevent a dryer fire.  

What Are The Top Three Steps I Need To Take To Prevent A Fire In My Dryer?

Practicing fire safety is a meaningful way to keep your family and your Donelson home safe. Some fire safety tips for your laundry room are:

• Clean the lint from the dryer's lint screen after every load; this helps prevent fire and allows your laundry to dry faster.
• If you have a plastic or foil accordion-style duct connecting your appliance to the vent, you may want to replace it. Plastic or foil ducts can be a fire hazard because they can sag, allowing lint to build up at low points and trapping lint in their ridges. It would help replace it with a rigid metal duct with smooth walls to enable the air to flow and reduce lint buildup.
• If you notice that your dryer takes longer to dry laundry than it used to, that's a sign that there may be a blockage in the dryer vent system. When drying a load, go outside and look at the vent; it's good if you see or feel exhaust air. If not, the vent or the exhaust duct may be blocked with lint. To unblock: 

• Disconnect your dryer from the power source. If you have a gas dryer, turn off the valve near the dryer. 
• Slide the dryer away from the wall so that you can access the vent in the back. If you have a gas dryer, be sure not to overstretch or damage the gas line. 
• Disconnect the duct from the dryer, and vacuum both the dryer and the vent as much as you can. Where possible, separate the duct into shorter sections for better access, then reassemble and re-attach the duct to the dryer. Be sure all joints are correctly connected and held together with clamps or foil tape. 
• Return the dryer to its original spot and reconnect the power. While you're there, you can clean behind the dryer and underneath it since lint builds up there, too. 

What Is The SERVPRO of Hermitage/Donelson Fire Restoration Process If A Dryer Fire Does Occur In My Donelson Home?

Here at SERVPRO of Hermitage/ Donelson, we understand that damage to your home from a fire can be incredibly upsetting and destructive for your family to process. SERVPRO of Hermitage/ Donelson is uniquely positioned to handle all of the types of damage your property might experience. 

Our fire restoration process involves:

Step 1: Emergency Contact. The restoration process begins when you call us. Our representative will ask questions regarding the fire damage event that will help us respond immediately with the appropriate equipment and resources. 

Step 2: Inspection and Fire Damage Assessment. We carefully inspect and test adjoining rooms of your property to determine the extent of the fire, smoke, and soot damage. This step is crucial to developing a plan of action. 

Step 3: Immediate Board-Up and Roof-Tarp Service. Fire damage can often compromise windows, walls, and roofs. To maintain security and protect against further damage, we can board up missing windows and walls and place tarps on damaged roofs. 

Step 4: Water Removal and Drying (if water damage is present). The water removal process begins almost immediately and removes most of the water. We then use dehumidifiers and air movers to remove the remaining water and complete the drying process. 

Step 5: Removal of Smoke and Soot from All Surfaces. We use specialized equipment and techniques to remove smoke and soot from ceilings, walls, and other surfaces. 

Step 6: Cleaning and Sanitizing. We clean, sanitize, and disinfect all of the restorable items and structures damaged by the fire. We use various cleaning techniques to restore your belongings to pre-fire condition. We're also trained to remove odors using industrial air scrubbers and fogging equipment.

Step 7: Restoration. Restoration is the final step in getting your home or business back to its pre-fire condition. Restoration may involve minor repairs, such as replacing drywall, painting, and installing new carpet, or it may entail major repairs such as the reconstruction of various areas or rooms in a home or business.

In addition to damage from fire and smoke, our SERVPRO of Hermitage/Donelson team also handles water damage, mold remediation, and much more. Call us today at (615) 885-3906, or contact us via our website for more information. 

This franchise is independently owned and operated.