Spontaneous combustion

Safety and warnings

Important!

To reduce the risk of fire in a tumble dryer the following should be observed:

Items that have been spotted or soaked with vegetable oil or cooking oil are a fire hazard and should not be placed in a tumble dryer.

Oil-affected items can ignite spontaneously, especially when exposed to heat sources such as a tumble dryer.

The items become warm causing an oxidation reaction in the oil. This oxidation creates heat. If the heat cannot escape the items can become hot enough to catch fire. Piling, stacking or storing oil-affected items can prevent heat from escaping creating a fire hazard.

If it is unavoidable that fabrics that contain vegetable oil, cooking oil or have been contaminated by hair care products be placed in a tumble dryer, they should first be washed in hot water with extra detergent – this will reduce, but not eliminate the fire hazard. The cool down cycle of the dryer should be used to reduce the temperature of these items. They should not be removed from the tumble dryer or piled or stacked while hot.

Items that have previously been cleaned in, washed in, soaked in or spotted with flammable liquids or solids eg petrol/gasoline, kerosene, dry cleaning solvents, vegetable or cooking oil, waxes or other flammable or explosive substances should not be placed in a tumble dryer.

Highly flammable substances commonly used in domestic environments include acetone, denatured alcohol, petrol/gasoline, kerosene, some brands of spot removers, turpentine, waxes and wax removers.

Fabric Softeners or similar products should not be used in a tumble dryer to eliminate the effects of static electricity, unless this practice is specifically recommended by the manufacturer of the fabric softener product.

Rubber backed articles, clothes fitted with foam rubber pads, pillows, fibreglass, shoes containing rubber, plastic items such as shower caps, and babies waterproof napkin covers should not be placed in the dryer.

Items containing rubber (also known as latex foam) or similarly textured rubber like materials should not be dried on any heat setting. Dry these garments on Airing. Foam rubber material can when heated produce fire by spontaneous combustion.