In the Laundry it’s a Must, Clean the Lint & Dust

Dust and lint are the biggest enemies of a laundry’s efficiency. First, it makes a laundromat look dirty and unattractive, especially to new potential clientele. Dust is, after all, very small dirt, and no one likes a dirty laundry.

Dust, and it’s cousin lint, get into the inner workings of washers and other equipment. It interferes with electronic control connections in machines and will shorten the life of the laundry’s equipment. In dryers especially, the drying process slows down and can create potential fire hazards.

In the laundering process, cloth rubs and abrades against other cloth. Each time it does, a bit of it is worn away. The residue creates lint dust, so every time a customer snaps a towel or a garment to remove wrinkles, some part of that cloth goes into the laundry air and can settle anywhere. Dust and lint accumulate on shelves, ledges, window sills and especially around and in dryer vent areas. The best way to control this is by having a detailed cleaning schedule that operators and staff stick to.

Keeping one’s business looking good through routine, scheduled cleaning ought to be every operator’s goal. Perhaps the major concern about dust, and accompanying lint, is the potential for fires that is created. Plus, accumulated lint and dust causes poor operation of dryers.

The fire concern results from when dust and lint are allowed to accumulate in dryers. Any spark, or over heating may ignite the layers and layers of dust and lint that accumulates in, on and around dryers and inside compartments. Just like the cleaning schedule of the laundry, owners need to keep an interior dryer dust cleaning schedule as well. Schedules should include regular lint removal from lint compartments and a plan for vacuuming in and around dryer burner compartments.

Lint will accumulate in usual and unusual places. One can remove dryer fronts to find lint growing, layer by layer and thickness. This stuff is a perfect tinder to start fires. Friction between the turning drum and the dryer body can start a blaze.

Dryer vents that are clogged with lint dust may allow the circulating air to become too hot and an internal combustion fire could start.

Recent printed statistics have shown that a high proportion, perhaps even the majority, of laundry fires can be charged to dryers. According to fire inspectors these fires begin either from poor wiring or conflagrations begun in vent pipes.

 

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