Tip of the Month – January 2010

Holy Smoke…..not wholly smoke? no, there was fire too! Anne Marks of PCM in Carlsbad sparked my thought process with an inquiry she had in while talking to me. It seems as though a homeowner in one of her communities recently had their home burned to the ground as a result of placing paint rags in a container that was not metal, nor covered. Many people don’t realize that some chemicals, under certain conditions will spontaneously ignite. The chemicals oxidize, creating a heat source sufficient to burn. Paint, solvents and other products that contain linseed oil may be particularly susceptible to spontaneous combustion. If they are piled in a combustible container like plastic and uncovered, they have all the fuel and oxygen they need to start a serious fire and the plastic container will only add fuel to the fire. If the same rags are stored in a covered metal container, the metal would keep the fire from spreading and the lid would most likely suffocate the fire after a brief period, keeping it from doing greater damage.

Many products caution that they should not be used around an open flame. The reason for this is that some of them emit very flammable fumes that can be ignited by the pilot light on a stove or a water heater. So, please be certain to use any flammable solution, whether it be paint or cleaning products in a very well-ventilated manner. Open windows, turn on fans or use them outside if possible and be very careful how you store or dispose of contaminated rags. We don’t want you going up in smoke, holy or otherwise!

Thanks and congratulations to Anne Marks for providing the fodder for this month’s Tip of the Month!