Barrie Firefighters are urging residents to clean dryer vents following two recent dryer fires within five days in the city.
A fire caused $30,000 damage to a home on Pickett Crescent Apr. 14.
The fire extended to the basement and caused extensive smoke damage. No injuries but two people were displaced.
"Cleaning dryers or lack of maintenance on dryers is the number one cause of dryer fires," said Barrie's Public Fire and Life Safety Officer Samantha Hoffmann.
Hoffmann says most people are pretty good about cleaning the lint trap but that vigilance needs to go further.
Firefighters urge people to also clean inside the dryer and if you use fabric softener, you'll need to wash the lint screen with a brush and water.
"Fabric softener can create a film on these. You don't see it but when you try to run water through it, the water pools. It doesn't go through and decreases the life of your dryer because the heat doesn't pass through," Hoffmann said.
The second dryer fire was at a high rise apartment complex on Edgehill Drive on Apr. 19.
"Because it was a multi-tenanted building, not only there is the loss of the dryers but it has a huge impact on all the families that live there because they have to be rerouted. So there's the inconvenience of it," said Hoffmann.
Check inside the dryer itself for lint buildup around the inside of the door.
"When you start to see lint there, that's your dryer warning you it's not venting properly."
Hoffmann says you should vacuum inside the dryer vent every couple of months and check to ensure the outside vent is unobstructed.
She also recommends installing a smoke alarm in the laundry room.
Here are some more tips on how to prevent a dryer fire:
- Have your dryer installed and serviced by a professional.
- Do not use the dryer without a lint filter.
- Clean the lint filter before or after each load of laundry. Remove lint that has collected around the drum.
- Rigid or flexible metal venting material should be used to sustain proper air flow and drying time.
- Keep dryers in good working order. Gas dryers should be inspected by a qualified professional to ensure the gas line and connection are intact and free of leaks.
- Make sure the right plug and outlet are used and that the machine is connected properly.
- Follow the manufacturer's operating instructions and don't overload your dryer.
- Turn the dryer off if you leave home or when you go to bed.
