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I have a friend who had a house fire from this exact situation. Thankfully it wound up only cosmetic exterior damage, so scary!

Also, I would call lint removal in dryers a safety critical activity... Learn how to do it, and do it as the manual says. Why? There is this book title in Sweden, "Anyone who doesn't remove the lint shall die". A coupla years back, someone omitted it in the shared laundry room in the neighborhood...

I always try to at least look over the manual. But these days we mostly don't even get them! It's a QR code. Which means scanning it with your phone, going to the site, copying the link, mailing it to yourself so you can read it on your computer instead of your phone, then remembering to do it. :P

Manualslib dot com

I used to write manuals that nobody read. Sigh.

Related: I work in a library and my knee-jerk solution is put a sign up! Then people will know the relevant information! Dear Reader. My sweet, sweet summer child. Please know that people do not- or cannot- read signs.

One of the most maddening things I have in tech is when I find an error...and support says "rtfm" and I'm like no, between step 15 and 16 something fails and doesn't align with what it says the expected results should be...and they tell me to rtfm again pointing me to the same steps.

oof what a task. anybody ever tell you they love your work on the variable temperature steam nozzle calibration settings from the booklet that came with my iron?

Yep. Or you're renting, I've never had an apartment come with appliance manuals.

My dad dumpster dived for them while the house was under construction...in spite of saying they wanted all of them. The gas appliance company put in our fireplace remote argued they COULDN'T give me the manual "because DIY gas safety liability"...so I can't DIY set the clock with new AA batteries?

The manual for the furnace when we bought the house was with the furnace. In the attic. Where we couldn't find it. So, sometimes, even when the manual is available, it's not available.

This is quite true, which is why the manufacturers need to emboss the link to the online manual on the front of every appliance.

Also some people really struggle with written directions in manuals. Like dyslexia is real.

Hit this QR code to go to a wide shot of one of our employees mumbling about this product at a camcorder microphone in a room with loudly buzzing overhead fluorescent lights.

if you show me a person who can muster the will to read the manual for the dishwasher they just spent two hours installing because the old one died and they have to get everything washed before dinner, I'll show you a god who walks among us

Replaced all mine with the new standards devices.

Common sense relies on shared experience, but we're not all the same person with the same experiences. We all have blind spots.

Ours reached the end of its lifetime about a month ago and notified us with a continual signal. Bought a new one!!

Very true! And a person doesn’t know what they don’t know.

Really? How? I didn’t say anything about anyone else; this was just about me and how I make myself feel safer in my home. It wasn’t a shame post about others.

Of course there is. But my cousin lost his pets (a dog and a kitten) due to CO poisoning and my friend’s grandma’s house burned down because of her dryer. I try to learn from my mistakes as well as others.

Thanks CPSC! What are you thoughts on combined smoke/carbon monoxide detectors? Don’t those things do best in two separate locations? (Smoke up high/CO down low?)

Thanks for the reminder!

This is such a good reminder. Our old rental had one - only after we had an Incident where one would have been useful. Now I can't remember if we got one when we moved here and when we last checked it, if so. TY for this.

So.. you want me to go push a big red button?! Say no more.

What are you a narc

It's pretty funny, but also sad, how many commenters are judging while also assuming the article is about the front, easy-to-reach lint screen.

Great point. Kind of crazy to look down on someone for not automatically knowing everything that we all may have learned over time, especially younger folks who may have grown up without a responsible involved parent to teach them - thank you for educating and working to keep EVERYONE safe!

I have one on each floor of my house and one in the basement because of you! And I check them a couple of times per year. (I do need to check my dryer exhaust vent, though.)

🫡

A little different, but I was well into my 40s before I learned that dishwashers and washing machines had filters. Certainly less catastrophic potential, but damn, WHO KNEW? (I know my parents didn't, obv)

It's almost like people don't know things they haven't been told before or something

This could be the librarian’s credo.

And then some other people... well. My uncle once siphoned gas from a car using a vacuum cleaner. Cliches aside, I genuinely don't understand how he didn't die. There was literally liquid gasoline sloshing around in the bottom of the canister.

And why we need you and the FTC and the FDA etc.

It's not a bad idea. Unfortunately the US is at present decades into a strong push to defund and reduce public education at all levels. Long after art, music and civics classes have been cut and even gym classes start being eyed, trying to get the powers that be to add something new is a hard sell.

overheard

And lint trap cleaning is particularly easy to miss if you've never had a reason to read the manual, it's not completely obvious (ours is, Mom's isn't), and you go from living where someone else knew and was drying the particularly lint-prone loads to not having someone else quietly clean it out.

You guys are the best. Thank you!

Seeing what some tenants do to apartments just not knowing any better, there should be an industry-standard handout. (People who never use the kitchen or bathroom exhaust fans and grow bumper crops of mold, or overflow the toilet several times a month, or pull out smoke detector batteries...)

I just want to say I really appreciate this attitude!

you know, you'd think everyone would be aware of that XKCD by now... 😁