Fire Hazard in the Laundry Room, take 2

By mslny

Inside my washing machine, at the very bottom, is a scary warning sign.

Dangerous Dryer Lint?

Did you catch that? Yeah, yeah, I’m not about to pour gasoline-soaked clothes into the washer, but what about this part: do not dry anything that has been spotted with any type of cooking oil?!

I’m certainly guilty of that infraction. So, yikes! I asked the safety guru at UL what I should be doing instead of washing these items (dish towels, pot holders, my shirt sometimes!).

“A small amount of oil on clothing is unlikely to start a dryer fire,” said John Drengenberg, Consumer Safety Director for UL. “However, I would exercise caution with any items that were exposed to oil of any type but especially oil or gasoline-soaked rags, for example. Even after washing, it is possible there is enough oil left in the fabric to spark a fire when placed in the dryer.”

Yikes again. In case you were wondering what fire hazard #1 in the laundry room is, I won’t keep you in suspense: it’s the lint trap!