I recently had a dryer fire at my laundromat. A customer had placed a mix of synthetic, nylon and cotton garments into one of my dryers at the “hot” setting for more than 45 minutes.
There was no type of electrical issue with the dryer. In fact, the dryer worked perfectly, even after the incident. All of my dryers are dialed in at the factory default of 175 degrees for a “hot” setting.
Is this a similar concept as when food is cooked on high heat for too long until it burns? More importantly, what can be done to avoid such an incident in future?
Your dryer fire did not occur because the dryers were at 175 degrees and they eventually burned the clothes. With that said, the fire may have occurred for any number of reasons.
Perhaps there was a disposable lighter in one of the pockets that heated up during the drying cycle, expanded and released its gas, which ignited the fire. That’s not uncommon.
Of course, clogged vents, ducts and filters are the primary causes of dryer fires. Usually, this is a result of a buildup of lint, but can certainly be caused by an accumulation of dirt, grass or anything else that remains after the washing process.
Another cause might be a malfunctioning temperature setting. Perhaps rather than heating up to just 175 degrees, your “hot” setting is reaching 200 degrees or higher.
The only dryer fire I’ve ever witnessed at 175 degrees was due to a load of towels from a hair salon with residual hair spray and other chemicals on them. The chemical fumes ignited in the dryer and burned the towels. So, maybe your fire was caused by some chemicals still left on the customer’s garments after the washing process.
Above all, the first thing I would do is look into the possibility of mechanical failure with regard to your “hot” temperature setting. Also, now is a great time to refresh your staff on proper dryer maintenance techniques, such as regular lint cleaning, etc.
I have a successful drop-off laundry business, and we recently had a customer bring us a wedding dress to clean. Unfortunately, the label on the dress states, “Do not wash or dryclean.” What should I do?
I’d suggest filling a 55-gallon drum approximately halfway with warm water of about 80 degrees. Next, add in 1 percent to 2 percent hydrogen peroxide, as well as about 1 percent dishwashing detergent. Soak the dress for about six hours and then hand-work it for 10 minutes. Lastly, rinse the dress in cold water and line-dry for 24 hours.
Above all, do not put the dress into a dryer. Wedding dresses are extremely fragile, and a commercial dryer most likely will damage it.
I’m completely remodeling my laundromat, and I’m confused as to what type of flooring I should install. I’m thinking about ceramic tile, a Formica-type flooring or carpeting. What are your thoughts?
I would suggest looking into a liquid vinyl type of flooring for your store. This type of flooring material is very durable and easy to clean. Also, it allows you to choose a virtually unlimited number of color combinations.
