Laundry Fires Due to Spontaneous Combustion
Spontaneous combustion refers to the gradual increase in temperature of a flammable material to the point of ignition. The process is a chemical reaction in which heat is generated. For this application, the exothermic reaction occurs from oxidation of oils on fabric. Once the oils are exposed to a certain amount of heat, the temperature continues to rise until the oil and fabric smolder and ignite. The Consumer Product Safety Commission along with the Whirlpool Corporation investigated the hazards of spontaneous combustion pertaining to home laundered towels in a 1991 study. It found that towels contaminated with 20 percent unsaturated vegetable oil could spontaneously combust after being laundered, dried , folded, and stacked. The greater the oil content in the fabric, the faster the exotherm occurs. This usually occurs after removal from the dryer, but can also occur in the dryer. Surprisingly, the study showed even “line dried, oil-contaminated, washed towels, when folded and stored at a temperature of 120 degrees F, can produce exotherm within 30 hours”.
The onset of a laundry spontaneous combustion fire is due to the increased temperature from the oxidized oil and evolves in a warm, enclosed environment such as a contaminated load packed in a warm dryer or laundry basket. If this heat has no way to escape, like in a dryer or pile, the temperature will raise to a level high enough to ignite the oil. Fire caused by spontaneous combustion of oily laundry is a serious, yet relatively unknown, hazard facing businesses. The scope of the hazard has been difficult to quantify due to the difficult nature of determining the causes of fires.
Considerations related to the phenomena are amount of oil, the type of oil, and the type of fabric. This applies to cooking oils and those used in automotive industry. Cotton towels or rags are often used in clean-up because they are highly absorbent. Extraction tests revealed that commercial laundry formulas and or solvent based detergents are considerably more effective in removing more of the residual oil.
Prevent Laundry Spontaneous Combustion?
• The higher amounts of residual oil after laundering pose a greater fire hazard and longer burn time after ignition.
•Do not stack or store items that exhibit a rancid, oxidized oil odor or contain large oily stains in a warm environment.
•Store laundered oil contaminated items in a cool well ventilated place.
• Separate and wash the contaminated linens throughly in hot water as soon as possible.
•Use medium to low temperatures in the drying cycle.
•Create a written safety protocol for employees who process laundry.
•The most effective method for avoiding laundry spontaneous combustion fires is to outsource all your laundry needs to an outside company. Commercial laundry formulas and or solvent based detergents are considerably more effective in removing more of the residual oil. Paying a service to pick up, clean, and drop off laundry can eliminate the hazard of piles of oily laundry waiting to be cleaned.
Kelchner Cleaners provides dry cleaning/ wet cleaning, laundry, alteration services, and wedding gown preservation for the Kutztown, Fleetwood, Topton, Reading and Allentown area.