Articles

Posted on Thu, Dec. 27, 2007, Charlotte Observer

IN MY OPINION

Is your clothes dryer a fire hazard?
Be sure to watch for warning signs that lint is building up in vent. by KIM BECKNELL WILLIAMS
 

Margaret Matlock called to tell me how her dryer had become a possible fire hazard.  "I'm just trying to save some lives," was the first comment I heard when I answered my telephone.  Margaret is one of those local citizens who always lends a hand and is always willing to help someone in our community. Concerned that others might have a similar problem, she was eager to have me tell her story. 

The dryer in the home she shares with her daughter's family was not working properly.  "I would turn it off and it would start again. We had to keep the door open to keep it from running," she said.
A repairman replaced a switch, but noticed that a large amount of lint had built up in the dryer vent. The repairman told Margaret that it was only a matter of time before the dryer caught fire.

Margaret contacted Emily Benvegna, owner of Charlotte's Dryer Vent Wizard, to have her clean out the dryer's vent. After I met Benvegna at Margaret`s home, she followed up in a letter e-mailed to me: "While the solution to the problem of preventing dryer fires is a matter of a few simple maintenance steps, a recent study by the U.S. Fire Administration cites lack of maintenance as the key reason for dryer fires. The January 2007 report indicated that dryer fires account for an average of 15,000 fires with an approximate $88 million in property damage, 15 deaths and 400 injuries annually. This study speaks to the lack of consumer awareness about the danger that lurks in laundry rooms."

I watched Benvegna as she cleaned out Margaret's dryer vent wearing a protective mask. She stood on a ladder to reach the vent opening, then inserted a long wire that propels through the vent, pushing the lint outside. It looked like dirty snowflakes falling from the sky. Margaret laughed, calling the procedure a home version of a colonoscopy.
Benvegna shared the following prevention tips:

• Be sure dryer vent systems are up to city, state and manufacturer code.

• Replace any plastic or foil vent with semi-rigid or solid metal venting.

• Clean screen lint trays before and after drying a load.

• Wash lint screens with soap and water every few months to remove residue left by fabric softeners.
  Don't leave the house or go to bed with the dryer running.

• Have dryer vents professionally cleaned and inspected annually.

Benvegna noted warning signs to watch for:

• Clothes taking more than one cycle to dry, especially jeans and towels.

• No lint visible on lint screen.

• Dryer repeatedly stops during a cycle.

• Clothes have moldy smell after drying cycle.

For more information on Dryer Vent Wizard, visit its

Web site: www.charlottedryerventlady.com.
IN MY OPINION Kim Becknell Williams

Kim Becknell Williams writes a column for the Observer's Neighbors of Union County.