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.

There’s always a change it could go wrong… but chances are it won’t.

We put the dishwasher on once before going out and I got a panicky call from DS saying that the sink was full of water (and rising) , the floor was all wet… bless him he was bailing out when we rushed back but there was so much water!

I occasionally nip out for 5-10 minutes to go to the corner shop which is literally across the road with the washing machine on but wouldn’t go further afield. I don’t have a tumble dryer but if I did definitely wouldn’t go out with it on, I’m very paranoid about a house fire I tend to turn everything aside from the fridge/ freezer off when I go out. I have a friend whose house burnt down due to a phone charger and my laptop charger once started sparking and smoking from nowhere - luckily I was there to turn it straight off and there was no damage but it’s made me very aware that electronics can’t be relied on not to short circuit or go wrong.

I mean, I'm not going to live my life worrying about a 0.01 percent chance of a fire maybe breaking out.

Of course the fire brigade will tell you not to do it - that's their job. Like an A&E doctor will say that children shouldn't use trampolines due to the risk, or a GP will tell you not to eat processed sugars.

The number of house fires that occur each year in this country is incredibly small.

I never worried about leaving the dishwasher on until a friend had a fire.

They'd popped out in the morning and returned to fire engines and house ablaze. They had to move into rented accommodation for half a year while their house was rebuilt. The fire officers confirmed it was the dishwasher that started it.

From that moment, as annoying and inconvenient it might be sometimes, I've never left a washing machine or dishwasher on without being awake/in the house.

I used to think nah, wouldn't happen to mr and thankfully it never did, but when l saw thick black smoke bellowing from a tumble dryer that was kept in a neighbour's shed, l decided there and then to never leave applicances eunning overnight or if l am out

I do the washing machine when I’m out. Only use tumble drier for towels and dont go out when using it.

People need to clean their TD filters regularly. Seen one filters and they are thick

I thought the risk was low until it happened to me. The washing machine started smoking and set on fire about halfway through a wash, it wasn't very old. Very luckily, I was at home and smelt the smoke before too much damage was done.

Don't have a dishwasher but no, never leave the washing machine on if I'm out

We have a deck chair in front of the washing machine and sit beside it when we do a wash just in case. We also got one of those red emergency stop mushroom buttons fitted. Can't be too careful nowadays.

In all seriousness you'd be better off getting a smoke detector with a contactor relay to cut the power, then at least you know once it starts smouldering it won't get any worse

I never leave any of them on if I’m going out. Dryers can catch fire, washing machines and dishwashers can flood.

I once had a washing machine inlet valve get stuck open, which meant the drum just kept filling up with water until it was full. Fortunately I spotted it happening and was able to do something about it. I guess I may have ended up with a flooded house otherwise. So I try to stay home whilst its running, just in case, though I'm aware that it's probably highly unlikely to happen again.

I don't sit and watch my washing machine, so unless I happened to spot this happening, it would flood while I was in the house.

I genuinely didn’t know this was a thing and always leave everything running when out 😳 this has taken me down a pretty dark hole of what the hell you do if you’re home and they catch on fire. Like how do you put it out? Does everyone have a fire extinguisher?

You get people and pets out & you dial 999. You don't attack the fire unless you can safely do so. Then you get your insurance to cough up for repairs. Bear in mind that your electrics might have to be checked,:water damage, smoke damage, all add up. That's even before you consider actual fire damage. That's exactly what happened to my neighbour. Better to be safe than sorry.

You don't even try - ring 999 and get everyone out of the house.

Do you turn your fridge off overnight / when you go out??? No, then why would you worry so much about a washing machine?!?

But washing machines can get stuck on spin and burn out...

Use the timers so only on briefly when you're out

Because they're different??

WM can get stuck on a spin cycle and the motor will burn out

Fridges don't have moving parts

All of the MNetters declaring they "would never have any clean clothes if I had to be at home when the washing machine/tumbler drier was working". I thought you all WFH?

Fridges can still short and catch fire though.

Also read the manufacturers info

If they say not to leave unattended then you won't be insured if you do

If they say not to leave unattended then you won't be insured if you do

I don't think that's true. You may not be able to claim off the manufacturer but most household insurance should pay out.

Some people put on their TD until their clothes and laundry are too dry - that’s when the fires start

I wonder if house insurance would cover fire damage from an unattended washing machine/dryer?

Of course it would, the point of insurance is to reimburse you following a fire, flood etc. A high proportion of claims are due to human error or lack of foresight - in normal use the vast majority of appliances don’t catch fire, it’s unreasonable to expect that someone would constantly watch their washing machine or tumble drier while in use.