A Queens-based dryer vent maintenance and repair business had loads of fun in helping to create the world’s largest ball of lint in an effort to raise awareness about dryer fires.
Dryer Vent Wizard of Queens collected dryer lint from more than 9,000 communities across the country to help set the Guinness World Record for the largest ball of lint last month. The company started collecting the lint in April 2019 and encouraged the company’s 95 franchisees to save lint they cleaned from clients’ homes as part of the record-setting attempt.
The company’s corporate team and franchisee leaders met in Farmington Hills, Mich., to build the lint ball. The lint ball ended up weighing in at 690 pounds and measured 19 feet, 6 inches in circumference, and 4 feet, 4 inches in height.
“Being able to participate in creating the world’s largest lint ball was an incredibly rewarding experience,” said Starsheema Lapsley, owner of Dryer Vent Wizard Queens. “The second we found out about this, we started collecting lint to send to help participate. Fellow franchisees from around the country sent in over 1,300 pounds of lint they collected from cleaning customers’ dryer vents. Dryer vent safety is a serious home maintenance issue that needs to be addressed. This was a great way for us to help raise awareness for this important cause.”
After it was assembled, the ball of lint was set on fire to show how dangerous a dryer fire can be. According to the National Fire Protection Association, there are an average of 15,970 dryer fires in the U.S. annually, with failure to clean the lint trap as the leading factor contributing to clothes dryer fires in residential buildings.
The Farmington Hills fire department was on site monitoring the situation and extinguished the fire shortly afterward.
For more information about Dryer Vent Wizard Queens, visit www.queensdryervent.
