Christine Bader Debrecht living in Missouri, USA recently shared an incident that happened with her daughter. Inside the cabin of a used 2018 Honda Civic that she drives, a can of dry shampoo burst, blowing off the roof of the car.
The teen had brought the car for herself in June with the money she saved from her grocery store job and a gift she got from her late grandmother. As per a report by The Washington Post, Debrecht mentioned that her daughter was constantly on the go since buying the car and hence, always used to carry a bag of beauty products with her.
In the recent event, an aerosol can of dry shampoo kept amongst these products blasted inside the car, blowing a hole in the sunroof as well as the middle console. Naturally, Debrecht’s daughter has been left heart broken with the happening.
It can safely be assumed that the can got overheated within the car cabin on the sunny day and this was the cause of the blast. While many dry shampoos do not have any majorly flammable products, the one in question had propane and butane in it, as mentioned in the report, which are also found in a lighter.
Debrecht named the dry shampoo brand to be Equate - Walmart's generic line of products. Interestingly, Debrecht mentioned there was another dry shampoo in the car, one by Dove, which did not blow off.
Not that the can did not have a warning though. The can of dry shampoo did come with a warning indicating a flammable product and that it "may explode if heated." The mentioned temperature limit for the can was 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The report mentions that it was 90 degrees on the day of the incident.
For now, insurance has agreed to pay for the damages if below $15,000. If more, the vehicle will be totaled and Debrecht and her daughter will end up owing a $1,000 deductible in any case.
A Lesson Learnt?
This does come off as a shocking, one-off incident. No one is expected to be prepared for such an incident. While it is known that dry shampoos come with alcohol, Debrecht mentions that propane and butane presence should be more effectively portrayed on such cans.
As for the owners, this can come off as a warning to those carrying similar cans in their cars. It is advisable not to take the risk and not to leave such aerosol products inside their cars when it is too hot outside.