4 | Hospitality Today | Christmas 2016 / January 2017
Darren Seward of NFU Mutual
Fire warning about‘ selfcombusting’ tea towels
A‘ spate of catastrophic fires’ caused by self-combusting tea towels is driving commercial insurer NFU Mutual to advise restaurateurs, hoteliers and publicans to exercise caution when handling, washing and tumble-drying tea towels.
The little-known‘ self-combusting tea towel’ phenomenon occurs when remains of oil and fat contaminate fabrics made of natural fibres. The remaining oil can undergo a chemical reaction with oxygen in the air, which releases heat, and in certain circumstances this can lead to the spontaneous ignition of the fabric initially as a smouldering process.
The reaction is even more likely when combined with heat such as that from tumble drying- especially when removed from the dryer and left in a pile, which offers perfect conditions of thermal insulation for the heat to thrive- and also if left near a heat source. Oxidising detergent chemicals such as peroxide in stain remover can also cause the chemical oxidising reaction, with or without heat.
Darren Seward, Hospitality Specialist at NFU Mutual( insert above) said:“ Although tea towels may appear clean once washed, they may still have the remains of cooking oils and fats or chemicals on them that are invisible to the eye. If they are then put into a tumble dryer, the combination of heat, cooking fats and oxygenating chemicals from stain-removing detergent products can create a chemical reaction and cause the towel to self-heat, smoulder and eventually catch fire. The danger is particularly high if the tumble-drying cycle is interrupted, as typically the final few minutes will tumble without heat and allow the tea towels to cool down.
“ Equally, dirty tea towels contaminated with oil pose a similar combustion risk, especially if they are dry and placed near a heat source. A fire could be caused by a situation as innocent as someone leaving a pile of dirty tea towels in a pile ready for washing the next day, so we would advise people not to stack them up ready for washing. An unsuspecting mistake could put people in danger and cost your business thousands of pounds if there is a fire.”