Multi-Housing Laundry Room Fire Prevention and Safety Tips

We’ve talked about how to keep your laundromat business safe, but what about multi-housing communities’ laundry rooms? Is it important for property managers and landlords to be concerned about safety in communal laundry rooms in their apartment complexes, condominiums, and dorms? Absolutely! Laundry room safety and fires should be taken seriously as one false move could endanger your residents and your property. It’s always a good idea to keep in mind and be prepared for any bad situation because you really never know what could happen.  Here are a few reasons to make laundry room safety and fire prevention a priority in your multi-housing facility.

Avoid Fines and Potential Legal Issues

You’ll have to deal with potential legal and insurance issues such as falls, fires, and theft. No one likes to be sued or penalized as a landlord, and you certainly don’t want your tenants to get hurt as a result of something that could have been avoided. Preventative safety measures can help keep your tenants safer and save you money in the long run by avoiding problems and unexpected emergencies.

Restrict Access to Residents Only 

Install a lock or a card access system to restrict entrance to your multi-housing laundry room to tenants exclusively. This reduces the number of unwanted guests and gives your residents a sense of security. Additional locks and keys are a low-cost solution to improve the security of your laundry room.

Busy & Well Lit Location on Your Property 

Keep your laundry room well-lit and in an easily accessible area for your renters’ safety. Even if other security measures are in place, having a well-lit room in a busy area will prevent any mischief from occurring. Install bright lights and replace any that burn out as quickly as possible, as this can be a safety issue in and of itself. Maintaining a well-lit laundry room will benefit both you and your tenants.

Clean the Dryer Vents 

Cleaning the dryer vents once a year is another way to prevent laundry fires. Lint can build up in the vents over time, even if the lint filters are cleaned after each use. You can do your own research and learn how to clean the vents, but if you want the best results, you should hire an HVAC professional. If you have multiple dryers in your multi-housing laundry room, hiring an HVAC consultant is also a great idea.

Laundry Rooms and Children 

If your multi-housing laundry room provides tenants with detergent and other cleaning materials, make sure they are placed on a high shelf out of reach of children. It’s important to keep in mind that many of the residents may have kids, so take precautions accordingly. Accidents can happen at any time, and the majority of them are avoidable.

All laundry and cleaning items should be kept out of the reach of small children and vulnerable adults.

Install a Smoke Detector 

Install a smoke detector in your multi-housing laundry room, which is perhaps the most obvious safety measure to take. Both you and your tenants will be alert to a life-threatening laundry room fire if you install a smoke detector. A fire will be put out faster and do less damage if you get an early warning, saving you time and money on repairs. Installing a smoke detector is inexpensive and significantly minimizes the danger of injury from a laundry room fire!

As you can see, there are a variety of approaches to keeping your multi-housing laundry room safe and fire-free. Your residents will be safe and grateful for the safety precautions you put in place when you follow these simple guidelines.  Get in touch with the experts at Scott Equipment to learn more about multi-housing laundry room safety and the best equipment for your community to use!