The standard household dryer is a very common appliance, and it's something that you might use several times a week without ever thinking about the potential of someone getting hurt because of it. Of course, many people use their dryers each day without anything bad happening. But dryer fires do happen all over the country and the world and they are something to take seriously. These fires happen for different reasons, but the following are some of the more common causes of dryer fires. If you know about the common cause of these fires, then you can do what you can to prevent your own dryer from catching on fire.

1. A Build-Up of Lint

One of the biggest causes of dryer fires is a build-up of lint. The lint that comes off of your clothing while it's drying might seem harmless, but it can cause a devastating and even deadly fire. The easiest thing that you can do to help prevent a fire is to clean out the lint trap each and every time that you dry a load of clothes. This isn't enough, though,  you'll still need to clean out the hose occasionally to get rid of any lint that might not have gotten caught in the trap and that might have gotten stuck in the hose. You can carefully use a vacuum cleaner hose attachment to do this, but a dryer repair service can do it for you as well.

2. A Problem with the Electrical Wiring or the Natural Gas Line

Electrical wiring and natural gas lines are usually safe but can be dangerous if there is something wrong with them. Making sure your dryer is hooked up properly and having any problems with your wiring or gas line looked at immediately after noticing them will help you prevent dryer fires.

3. Faulty Components

Lastly, sometimes dryers just have faulty components that could lead to the dryer overheating or otherwise catching on fire. If you notice that something seems to be wrong with your dryer, you should not just shrug it off. Otherwise, a fire could happen, depending on what is wrong with the dryer. Any time that you notice that your dryer is not working as it should, or as it once did, you should call a dryer repair service. A professional can diagnose the problem with your clothes dryer and make sure that it's safe to use, that it's efficient when it's operating, and that it does a good job of drying your clothes.

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