Did you know that your clothes dryer potentially could be a fire hazard to your home? It’s important to make sure that you aren’t accidentally putting your livelihood—including you, your family and your pets—at risk. Read these tips to make sure you are safe from a dryer fire:

1. Built-up lint from your clothes and linens could ignite when your dryer is running. Clean out your lint tray after each time you use your dryer. Lint trays usually are at the front of the dryer, right inside the door. But, in older models, they could be on top of the dryer.
2. Clean the dryer duct, too—the part that connects the dryer to the vent behind it, and the duct that runs to the outside of your house. This should be done at least once a year. And, if the duct that connects to the vent is an accordion-style duct, you should consider replacing it with a solid duct that’s made of metal. Lint can get trapped in accordion-style ducts because they tend to sag.
3. Don’t dry clothes in your dryer if they’ve been contaminated with flammable substances, like gasoline or oil. Consider hang-drying these clothes instead.
4. Don’t store dangerous chemicals near your dryer.
5. Don’t leave your dryer on while you aren’t at home or when you’re asleep.
6. Pay attention to your clothes—if they’re still damp when you pull them out of the dryer, or if they’re super hot to the touch when you pull them out, that could be a sign that your vent is plugged or blocked.
7. And, don’t overload the dryer with too much clothing or linens.
8. If you get a new dryer, have a professional install it for you.

Dryers are handy tools for everyday chores—be sure to follow these safety tips to keep you, your family and your pets safe from a potential house fire. And, give our agency a call or pay us a visit so we can talk about how your homeowners insurance policy will cover you in the event of a clothes dryer fire. We look forward to hearing from you.