Fats and oils are the trigger
A common cause of fires
Fires occur time and again, particularly in the hotel and restaurant industry, but also in commercial laundries and private households, due to Spontaneous Combustion of Laundry. As a result, piles of freshly washed and dried laundry or folded and stacked textiles on shelves, in baskets, or in laundry bins can spontaneously catch fire. Furthermore, there have been cases where textiles spontaneously combusted inside a clothes dryer—even though the dryer was not in operation. Such fires often occur outside of normal working hours, are usually discovered late, and cause significant property damage.
Spontaneous combustion occurs when ignition takes place without an external source of energy. However, before a textile catches fire, it first heats up on its own to the ignition temperature, usually due to heat buildup after drying.
Spontaneous Combustion of Textiles
Hotel and restaurant textiles, such as cleaning rags, towels, and clothing, frequently come into contact with vegetable or animal fats or oils—since, for example, pans, range hoods, and deep fryers are cleaned regularly. But towels and bathrobes from hotel spa areas can also be soiled with massage oil. Such fats and oils usually contain so-called unsaturated fatty acids, which can cause a fire under unfavorable conditions. When textiles soiled in this way are washed, the adhering fat or oil is often not completely removed from the fabric—a situation that, at room temperature, would not yet lead to spontaneous combustion of the laundry. After washing, the textiles are usually dried in a clothes dryer and then stacked while still warm on a pile of laundry, on shelves, or in laundry carts. The drying process creates a higher initial temperature for the reaction, which continues to rise within the pile of laundry. The reaction, which initially proceeds slowly, can now—in combination with the insulating effect of the surrounding laundry—cause the temperature to reach the point at which the laundry spontaneously ignites.
Preventive Fire Safety Measures
To prevent laundry from spontaneously combusting, there are several points to keep in mind:
- Wash fabrics that are heavily soiled with grease or oil separately
- Use a specially designed wash cycle
- In addition to your laundry detergent, use a special grease remover
- Avoid overloading your washing machine
- Check the washing results regularly
- Be sure to observe the maximum load capacity of your clothes dryer
- Do not remove the laundry from the dryer until the cooling phase of the drying cycle has ended.
- Never leave hot laundry in the dryer for a long time or overnight
- Spread out warm textiles so that heat doesn't build up
- Before stacking or packing dried textiles, let them cool for a while
- Install automatic fire alarms in the laundry room
- Inform all employees to raise awareness of this issue and prevent accidents
How to Respond to Malfunctions
If all laundry room employees are attentive and aware of the issue, fire accidents can be prevented by Spontaneous Combustion of Laundry easier to prevent. If you notice rancid and/or burning odors, you should investigate immediately and check the laundry. As a precaution, you can soak it. If the power suddenly goes out while the dryer is running, remove the laundry from the dryer. If a fire has already broken out, it is important to immediately alert the fire department and evacuate everyone present from the danger zone. If possible, disconnect the power supply to the appliances and close all windows and doors.
More Information and Interesting Facts
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