What are the Dangers of Dryer Lint?

There are a number of potential dangers when it comes to dryer lint, both for your internal health and for your home in general. Here are the two most common dangers that dryer lint presents.

Inhalation

Respiratory distress is a very real danger. Dryer lint can easily get up in the air. The particles can be inhaled causing a number of medical conditions, and making breathing worse in people with COPD, asthma, hay fever. It can also cause bacterial infections, and worsening a host of other complications.

Should you be afraid of dryer lint? We think you should.

Fire

Dryer lint is highly flammable. So much so that at people have used it to make little burners (for camping, and wilderness survival packs) out of lint and paraffin. Your dryer has heating coils in it to generate the heat required to dry your clothing. Most dryers have a directive in the door, sometimes on the lint trap, that tells you to clean out after every use.

Even if you follow that directive, you are still at risk for a fire. Your lint trap is not catching all of the lint. Some of it gets past and lodges in the sides of the housing od the lint trap, and all along the dryer vent, especially the aluminum coil that most people use to vent the dryer outside. The ribbing catches the lint where it can build up and become a hazard.

One of the symptoms that might notice that your dryer duct has become clogged with lint is that your clothes are not getting fully dry. Another symptom is smelling something burning.

If you smell something burning, get out of the building, and call Emergency Services or 911. If you can smell it, it may already be on fire. As flammable as lint is, you could wind losing your house. It tends to burn hot and fast.

Ideally, you should get this checked out right away, and head off these problems become costly issues. The best tactic is to get it checked now by professionals in this field and take any preventable steps recommended. Then get it checked every year when you do your spring cleaning and your fall cleaning.

We believe in prevention versus restoration. We can help you on your way to make your home more secure. Our staff is helpful and knowledgeable and standing by for your call.