Surprised to read you shouldn't leave the washing-machine on in an empty house

[aliasjoey]

AIBU to be surprised to read on another thread about a washing-machine being used when no-one was home, and so many replies were that you should not leave it on!

We work full-time, if it wasn't switched on until I got home, then I would be hanging up wet washing really late at night.

Is it so different to other electrical items left on? The slow-cooker? The boiler might switch on in the winter, that's electricity and water combined. I think

One thing i've been meaning to find out about fire extinguishers.. they have an expiry date. What do you do with them when they are out of date?

I frequently set the washing machine (it's a washer/drier, actually) to come on overnight so that the washing is ready to hang out in the morning. I think I'll stop doing that after reading this thread though... I stopped leaving it drying after as it's getting a bit elderly now and can make odd noises on the drying cycle so I thought it wasn't worth the risk.

What is the point of timers on washers/driers? Surely they just encourage people to set them when they are not around.

Thanks for so many replies! Sorry, yes it was a tumble-dryer on the other thread; but plenty of replies saying don't leave driers OR washing-machines on. Not sure ours has a timer, but anyway that has the same problem it starts when no-one is around.

That's a good point about it having other things besides water and electricity, like a motor etc. And if the fire brigade actually recommend switching off hmm

But as other people have said, when would we get the washing done if not during the day or at night?

I would never have gone out when the kids were small if I had to wait until the washer was off!

A friend this week coincidentally told me she never goes out when hers is on.

My washer is on at least twice a day and the dishwasher is on the same, other days they can be on three times each. At around 1.5 hours each I would be tied to the house. I sometimes set the washer to start at 5am so it is done as I get up so I can get it pegged out and the next load on and finished before I take the kids to school. I don't do that often though. Not for safety reasons but because I think GirlCat is scared of it.

I run the washer, the dryer and the dishwasher while I'm out (multitasking ). If I didn't I'd never leave the house.

There again, in the last twelve months I have killed three kettles, a microwave and the vacuum cleaner so I might not be the best person to be offering advice

I reckon a major issue with phone chargers will be cheap imported ones that overheat easily. Never quite understood why people spend a fortune on a phone and then buy a crappy £3 charger.

Having them timed to finish as you are getting home is missing the point completely from the safety aspect. If it is going to blow up it is surely more likely to happen part way though rather than at the very end.

This is why I have home insurance. I'm willing to live with the risk.

Hmm. Never heard that before. I always used to just toss my clothes in the dryer and run off to work. Come home and fold them, and put stuff in the wash before I went to sleep.

I'm home now though so I can keep an eye on things, but I still run the dryer while I'm sleeping. Guess I'll try to break that habit.

We had a major TV campaign in Scotland a while ago - this was the film. Pretty hard hitting, so be warned.

It is safer when you are out than when asleep, really. At least when you are out only the house is in danger.

insurance won't replace everything.

ok, it is only stuff but it is not a risk I am prepared to take.

I would run these appliances overnight (economy 7) but only with a working smoke alarm in range.

I was preparing Sunday dinner at MILs house earlier this year when I smelled burning (no, not my cooking

It was an unusual burning smell, like a chemical or electrical burning. When I looked around the kitchen, I was horrified to see wisps of smoke coming out from behind the washing machine: it wasn't even in use, just plugged in and switched on. We managed to turn the electricity off and pull it away from the wall, but the machine was ruined.

Any electrical device left on has the potential to burn.

Oh, and we had the Devil's own job trying to get the insurance company to pay up.
They did eventually, but not before telling MIL that she was pulling a fast one and they knew her sort - she's nearly 80!!!

A friend of mine woke to hear her dog barking and scrabbling at the kitchen door one night. The tumble drier had gone on fire .
She had to go into rented accommodation for 3 months re damage done. And fight with the insurance company .

Fortunately she got out with her baby daughter and the dog who was a hero no doubt . Don't risk it people . And be anal about clearing fluff filter.

My own worst was flooded kitchen with washer left while out. I am obsessive with switching electrics off now. Too much probably I know.

to a of you who think you are insured. check the small print.

I never leave my washing machine or drier on whilst I am out. It was something my mother drummed into me, even though she had no personal experience of them catching fire. She was always cautious about things like that, and it has rubbed off on me.

I am paranoid about clearing the fluff filter of the tumble drier, and always pull as much fluff out of other parts of it as I can reach.

Similar with the dishwasher. I don't set it to be on when we are out, and like it to be finished before I go to bed in the evening.

Anything which combines electricity and water and heats the water is a fire risk, however small that risk might seem.

When the fire brigade came to do a fire safety check at my house the only thing they mentioned was that you shouldn't leave the oven or hob on while you were out. I used to leave the oven on low if I had to pop out and collect children (or if I was super organised set the timer to go on before we came in).

They never mentioned the d/w, washing machine or tumble drier though and I've never really thought about that - other than my friend saying she worries about leaving the d/w on at night as she thinks it is a safety risk with the water and electrics.

Our tumble drier is in the garage which makes it a bit more protected I think. I also can't see it's practical not to leave the others on - I usually have the washing machine on while I'm doing the morning school run and then hang it out when I get back. Surely if it was that dangerous they woudl have a warning on, not to leave them unattended when in use.

Squirreled

That campaign was very sad and hard hitting wasn't it?

I've grown up with the idea that you never leave the washing machine on when you're out of the house, and I've never done it, or left the tumble drier on either.

I never charge my mobile overnight, or left anything on standby, the only thing that is left plugged in here is the Fridge Freezer.

I can't remember when I first heard not to leave things switched on, I've just always kind of known.

When we had the firemen round to fit the smoke alarms they asked me whether I leave the WM on as I go out (I did at the time) and they said it was there top reason they get called out for a household fire. I don't know it thats just my area though. Since that day I'll only use it when I'm in

Years ago a neighbour of my sister's had a really bad kitchen fire when her washing machine caught fire. Luckily it started 5 mins before she went out, or she could've lost her whole house.

We never have our washer-dryer or dishwasher on when out or in bed.

Incidentally, if anyone has one of those ventilation fan things in their bathroom/loo, the type that come on when the light is switched on and run for a couple of minutes after ittle light is turned off - please make sure you clean them regularly, even though they are buggers to clean.

Last summer the one in the flat below us caught fire and we woke up at 3.00am to the sound of smoke alarms and our neighbours banging on our door to wake us up (as the fire had spread up to their ceiling, they thought the fire was coming from our flat above them. Luckily not TOO much damage was done (our flat just stunk of smoke for a while) and no one hurt, but it was a really horrible experience. The fire brigade said that these fans are notorious for catching fire, especially as they are a pain to keep clean.

Golden I used to work in H&S, and the one thing that was drummed into us was that when things go wrong, they go wrong very fast. And that little things easily combine to make a much more serious situation.

I too am the person that holds everyone else up by going round and checking that everything is switched off at the wall before leaving the house. I am bad enough that if I'm not sure I will go back and check (bad DCs deliberately say "are you sure you locked the door / switched off the toaster / checked the windows?).

I have mine on a timer plug so it finishes when I get up.

I had a fire safety officer come round recently to check my house and advise me. She showed me photos of a washing machine that had been left on and had set fire to the kitchen.

She advised never to put it on overnight for this reason.

I've never left the washer or dryer on overnight since watching a heartbreaking news report where a mum put her children's school uniforms on to dry for the next day and it caused a fire. All her three children died. The hurt in the poor woman's voice has always stayed with me .