5
Safety instructions
To minimize the risk of fire in a tumble dryer,
the following should be observed:
• Items that have been spotted or soaked
with vegetable or cooking oil constitute 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 in a tumble dryer. The items be-
come warm, causing an oxidation reaction
in the oil. Oxidation creates heat. If the heat
cannot escape, the items can become hot
enough to catch fire. Piling, stacking or stor-
ing oil-affected items can prevent heat
from escaping and so create a fire hazard.
If it is unavoidable that fabrics that contain
vegetable or 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
hazard. The ’cool down’ cycle of tumble dry-
ers should be used to reduce the
temperature of the items. They should not
be removed from the tumble dryer or piled
or stacked while hot.
• Items that have been previously cleaned
in, washed in, soaked in or spotted with
petrol/gasoline, dry-cleaning solvents 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/gaso-
line, kerosene, spot removers (some
brands), turpentine, waxes and wax remov-
ers.
• Items containing foam rubber (also known
as latex foam) or similarly textured rubber-
like materials should not be dried in a tum-
ble dryer on a heat setting.
Foam rubber materials can, when heated,
produce fire by spontaneous combustion.
• 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 recom-
mended by the manufacturer of the fabric
softener or product.
• Undergarments that contain metal rein-
forcements should not be placed in a tum-
bledryer.
Damage to the tumble dryer can result if
metal reinforcements come loose during
drying. When available a drying rack could
be used for such items.
• Plastic articles such as shower caps or
babies’ waterproof napkin covers should
not be placed in a tumble dryer.
• Rubber-backed articles, clothes fitted with
foam rubber pads, pillows, galoshes and
rubber-coated tennis shoes should not be
placed in a tumble dryer.
Vented dryers
• that there has to be adequate ventilation
to avoid the back flow of gases into the
room from appliances burning other fuels,
including open fires, when operating the
tumble dryer.
• that exhaust air must not be discharged
into a flue which is used for exhausting
fumes from appliances burning gas or other
fuels
Caution!
Air from the tumble dryer must not be fed
through ducts used for equipment that
burns gas or other fuels.
