Even the most innocuous appliances in your home can become the source of a house fire.
One TikTok user has taken to social media to encourage viewers to be cautious of how and when they use large appliances with heating elements.
In a video that has drawn over 400,000 views on TikTok, user Erin Wessling (@erinlwessling) shows the inside of her clothes dryer after it overheated.
“PSA: Do not leave your dryer on whilst you sleep,” a text overlay on the video reads. “Do not leave your dryer on for long periods of time. In fact just get rid of your dryer altogether.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Wessling via TikTok direct message regarding the video, and to Solt, the manufacturer of her dryer, via contact form.
In follow-up videos, Wessling explains that the dryer was two years old, and the lint trap was cleaned out regularly. She was asleep, but another adult in the home was awake when the dryer caught fire, she says.
Wessling woke up to a burnt smell, and her partner actively sought out the source of the smell, she says.
“I instinctively opened the garage door,” she says in one of the videos. “I don’t know, I just kind of had a feeling it was the dryer.”
She says the fire started due to a safety feature failure.
How common are house fires caused by clothes dryers?
Clothes dryers and washers accounted for about 4% of all house fires in the U.S. in 2022. While that might seem a small share of home fires, there were a total of 360,000 home fires that year.
Most home fires happen between 4pm and 9pm—but they become much more likely to result in a fatality when they occur between midnight and 3am.
What causes dryer fires?
Even meticulously maintained dryers can become the spark that starts a house fire.
It doesn’t even have to be a full lint filter—even something as simple as faulty wiring or a mechanical failure can lead to a dryer going up in flames.
Other causes include overstuffing a dryer beyond its recommended capacity or forgetting to clean out the vents attached to the dryer, as lint can also build up there.
How can I prevent dryer fires?
The most direct way to prevent a fire from starting in a clothes dryer is making sure to remember to empty the lint trap before starting a load.
Dryers in older fans might also be connected to accordion-style air ducts, which can sag and trap lint, becoming a fire hazard. Regularly cleaning air ducts, about once a year, can also be effective in reducing risks of fire.
Effectively treating stains can also be a helpful step in reducing flammability risks. Many chemicals and substances like oil, gas, and some cleaning agents can catch fire when exposed to high levels of heat. Some experts recommend washing fabrics with particularly flammable stains multiple times.
‘Is this a Samsung by any chance?’
Many viewers assumed the poster had not taken the necessary steps to maintain her dryer, such as keeping the lint trap clear, despite her video’s caption stating that it had.
“Cleaning out your lint tray is also a valid option,” one commenter wrote.
“Or just clean out the lint tray each time you use it?” another said.
“Clearly they either didn’t clean the lint trap or something your dryer just doesn’t catch fire for nothing,” a third claimed. “I’ve had mine for over 10 years.”
@erinlwessling Updated caption because I keep getting the same comments: IT WAS A FAULTY DRYER – YES I CLEANED THE LINT EVERYDAY, NO THERE WAS NO FLAMMABLE PRODUCT INSIDE – it was supposed to have a safety feature stopping it from getting too hot but it failed.
♬ take a moment to breathe. – normal the kid
Some shared that they had similar experiences with dryers and washing machines causing fires in their homes.
“Knew this one person, she washed oily towels and it didn’t quite wash. When she dried them they caught on fire,” one commenter wrote.
“Unfortunately for me 11 months ago I lost almost everything due to simply just doing a load of washing in my top loader washing machine that I had owned for 6 years,” another said.
“Is this Samsung by any chance?” a further user commented. “Only asking as I had similar issue and they won’t rectify… it was under warranty too.”
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