The warning everyone needs to read: Mum reveals where ‘secret lint’ is lurking in your dryer – and how to get to the potential fire hazard in seconds
- A mother has revealed where ‘secret lint’ could be lurking in your dryer
- She became concerned when her ALDI machine started to smell like burning
- The woman was unaware that dust and debris could collect in the fan at the back
A mother has revealed where ‘secret lint’ could be lurking in your dryer – and a simple way to reach the potential fire hazard in seconds.
Sharing her discovery in the Australian Facebook group, Mums Who Clean, the woman told members she was spurred to investigate after becoming concerned about a burning smell coming from her 4.5kg Aldi machine.
While she regularly cleaned the front of the dryer, she said she was unaware that dust and debris could collect in the fan at the back.
Left unchecked, lint build-up can start a fire by raising the temperature in the drum. It is one of the leading causes of household fires around the world.
While she regularly cleaned the front of the dryer, the mother said she was unaware that dust and debris could collect in the fan at the back
‘I accessed this fan through the back of my dryer, I took off the back plate, took off the belts, stabiliser and back drum plates, many swear words were spoken,’ the mum wrote.
‘I took photos of how everything was put together so I’d know how to put it back together. The bolt broke from over-tightening the nut when I was putting it back together.’
In 2020, the NSW Regional Fire Service issued a warning about the dangers of uncleaned dryer lint.
The RFS called on Australians to clean lint after every load, claiming it’s one of the top 10 reasons your house could go up in flames.
Left unchecked, lint build-up can start a fire by raising the temperature in the drum; it is one of the leading causes of household fires around the world
Photos of the mother’s lint-laden unit sparked a wave of shocked responses, with many noting how lucky she was to have found it when she did.
‘That’s a huge fire hazard. This is a way better outcome than what could’ve been,’ one woman wrote.
‘Wow that was a fire waiting to happen. I will have to look at mine now,’ said a second.
Meanwhile a third wrote: ‘You are very lucky that didn’t catch fire. I personally know two people whose house fires originated from their dryers.’
Photos of the mother’s lint-laden unit sparked a wave of shocked responses, with many noting how lucky she was to have found it when she did
Others mistook the dirt for something entirely different.
‘Oh lord! I thought they were rats!,’ one woman replied.
‘OMG, I thought it was mice,’ said another, while a third added: ‘I thought it was a bunch of dead rats.’