Leaving the tumble dryer/washing machine on when going out

[DustyLee123]

I came home the other day to find that DH had left the tumbler/washing machine on and gone out for 30 minutes or so.
It makes me so mad that the house could have burned down due to his laziness, yet I get looked at like I’m nagging.
And we both know a couple whose garage went on fire due to the tumbler being left on.

YABU - stop nagging and be grateful he did some washing.
YANBU - everyone knows you don’t go out and leave the tumble dryer on.

This, I’m fine with washing machine and dishwasher and not tumble dryer.
Yoi shouldn’t have to be grateful he’s done washing it should be him doing it if that’s the job spilts in your house!

@NewLifter having thought about it I see I could change timings around so that the dishwasher always goes on after dinner in the evening so we’re here

But the washing machine’s shortest cycle is 1hr 15. To be up in time to put that on so it’s done, with the extra 15 minutes it takes to hang it out, seems very early just to avoid it being on when I go out for 20 minutes on the school run!

Washing machine yes, tumble dryer never- absolutely petrified of the fire.🙈

I don’t trust my fridge any more than any other electrical item. But you can’t be turning your fridge off every time you go out or to bed. That’s the difference.

I would rather minimise my chance of having a fire by only having the essentials running. But then I wfh and it’s mainly only me here so very easy to get any washing/drying done during the day when I’m here.

I grew up in the days when there used to be a scary advert on about unplugging things at night and it seared into my brain! So there is very little I leave plugged in at night or when I go out.

Washing machine OK but never the tumble dryer. My last one went pop while I was in the room - it had recently finished the load, I smelled electrical burning, leapt to the socket and whipped the plug out. I never leave it switched on at the socket now, after I have used it. If I hadn't been in the room there would have been a fire.

I wouldn’t leave the dryer on when I go out - we have three firefighters in the family who have drummed it into everyone how serious the fire risk is. I don’t know statistics but anecdotally they say that a high number of house fires are caused by dryers.

I leave the washing machine on when going out. Wouldn't get much done otherwise

You're supposed to turn your fridge off if you go out. Shocking that people don't do this

I know two people who lost their homes due to fridge fires. I am more suspicious of my fridge than any other household appliance. (But no I don't leave my tumble dryer on when I am out, or overnight).

This is from South Wales Fire Service:

Indeed, tumble dryers have accounted for 57% of all fires involving white goods in Wales over the last three years (there are on average 158 fires involving white goods in every year).

Based on the number of households in Wales, that's 0.0001% of households having fires involving a white good. That's an exceptionally low risk.

I leave the washing machine and dishwasher on when out. I'd never get things clean otherwise. I try not to but we need clean things.

I rarely use the tumble dryer but will never leave it on when out or at night.

That's an absolutely tiny number though.

Wales has nearly 1.4 million households, for comparison.

Washing machines cause more fires than tumble driers. That's what the fire service told me (and Google seems to support)

Is that not partially because more people have washing machines, though?

I sometimes leave the washing machine on, but never the tumble dryer. I know someone whose whole house burnt down from leaving the tumble dryer on.

Ours is in the (detached) garage so we don't give it a second thought, we'd never get the washing done if we couldn't leave the house with the washing machine one. But yes wouldn't leave a dryer on in the house.

Washer and dishwasher yes
Tumble dryer no.
A few years back 3 young children local to my town tragically died in a house fire from a tumble dryer

We take these machines for granted. You cant leave them totally unattended. When I tumbled dried id stay close by and clean while it was on. It's not worth it.

Humans in general are a bit complacent until something happens to them. This is why we'll be a failed species at some point.

I don’t because I know one person who had a tumble drier fire and another who had a washing machine fire. Mine is in a timer to come on when we first get up and I have a 1 hour 40c programme. Usually means I can get the clothes hung up to dry first thing. I don’t have a tumble drier as they are awful for the environment.

I leave the washing machine on but not the dryer. We don’t have a dishwasher. I’m definitely rethinking after reading this.

Well yes @fieldsofbutterflies that was my thought too. Given then numbers of appliances it's not like they're all spontaneously combusting at any given moment.

Scary how many people leave their washers on and go out/to bed like.

Bet you stick your phones on charge overnight as well...

Yep, wouldn't occur to me not to. A phone sat charging on a flat, hard surface with a good quality charger is incredibly unlikely to cause any issues.

I leave the dishwasher on when I go out and the washing machine when I was picking the kids up from school (which was two seconds round the corner) but I wouldn't leave it on if I wasn't going to be home for a long period. I don't have a tumble dryer but I would probably say no I wouldn't leave that on if I wasn't home.