Fire and Water Damage in your Laundry Room can cause serious damage to your home.

8/7/2018 (Permalink)

When someone mentions they have a laundry emergency, most people’s first thought would be a red wine or grass stain, but here at SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn a laundry emergency is a much BIGGER deal! What you aren’t thinking about is without proper inspection and maintenance those appliances you rely on can really lead to a serious disaster in your home.

Washing Machines typically run a few times per week in most homes, and the typical life expectancy of a washing machine is 10-11 years, during that time it can wash up to 5,000 loads. Washers come with 3 hoses filled with water: hot water, cold water and a drain, that gives that appliance 3 opportunities to suddenly leave you with a laundry room flood, or worse widespread water damage.

To complete a full cycle of laundry you have to put those wet clothes somewhere, and it is convent that the clothes dryer is located right next to the washing machine, right? No one forgets to throw in the laundry detergent when doing a load, but forgetting to dispose of your dryer lint, well that can cause BIG problems. Dryer lint is very combustible, the accumulation of lint in your dryer and vent can reduce airflow, causing your dryer to overheat. An improperly vented dryer can have dangerous consequences and is a leading cause of fire damage in homes.

Steps to prevent a laundry emergency in your home:

1. Inspect the hoses on your washing machine regularly, remember to check for leaks thoroughly but be sure not to disconnect them. The best way to check is to start a small load on a short cycle and make sure you don’t see any water, with each cycle. Better yet replace rubber hoses with a stainless-steel option, they have a longer life span.

2. Give your washer some room, keeping it 6” away from the wall can help prevent the hoses from kinking. Also, make sure you don’t see a lot of movement, an imbalanced washer can move around enough to loosen or cause added stress on your hose connections.

3. If you seem to have continued problems with your washer install a flood stopper. It’s placed on the floor near your washing machine and when it detects water it can shut off the water supply.

4. It is recommended to have your dryer exhaust system cleaned at least twice a year. Make sure you remove lint from your filter and underneath it every time you start a new load. Don’t use dryer sheets and fabric softener and remove the back of the dryer regularly to remove trapped lint.

5. Check that your dryer vent outside is lifting/venting properly. When installing the duct line keep it as short as possible to accumulate less debris. Keep the area around your dryer free of dust and other debris.

Accidents sometimes happen even after taking proper precautions and performing routine maintenance in your home. We here at SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn have responded to dozens of calls for water or fire property damage caused by laundry emergencies. We specialize in the cleanup and restoration of residential and commercial property after fire, smoke or water damage. Our professional staff has the equipment, expertise, and experience to respond faster to any size disaster.

If you have a laundry emergency caused by Fire/Water Damage! SERVPRO of Southwest Brooklyn is always here to help!

Providing 24 Hour Emergency service, 7 Days a week, (718) 375-2388 we are just a phone call away!