Check frequently for build-up of lint in or around your dryer.  Also take a look around the area where your dryer exhaust exits your house, and see if there is lint on the ground or in shrubs or on the wall. Lint build-ups are a major cause of home fires.  The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) statistics indicate that in 2005 an estimated 14,500 reported U.S. non-confined home structure fires involved clothes dryers or washing machines and resulted in 14 civilian deaths, 440 civilian injuries and $207 million in direct property damage.  damage.  The number one cause of these fires was “failure to clean.”

For valuable dryer safety tips visit www.nfpa.org. Click Fact Sheets & Safety Tips under QUICKLINES on the home page.