HSMother Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I always turn mine off before I leave the house. Am I just being paranoid? I could stay on top of things better if I could just leave them on! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do. I probably shouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I like them off. I'm cautious about leaving my crockpot and bread machine on, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I will leave the washing machine on, but not the dryer. A firefighter told me that most house fires are started by dryers, dishwashers on the dry cycle, and Christmas trees. So I don't leave any of those on when I leave the house. I won't even leave the dryer on when we go to bed. I will run the dishwasher without the dry cycle, though, which I always do anyway to save money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I leave them on when I leave the house but do not leave them on when I go to bed since I am worried about a fire. I do NOT leave my crockpot on when I leave the house since last year my crockpot starting smoking and sparking while I was home during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 No, I do not leave them on. I do not need to deal with water hose bursting or dryer vent fire . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 My mom works for a water and fire damage cleanup company. I always turn off my dryer when I leave the house. Also you should turn off the water to your washer with the little knob when you go out for a long time or on vacation. My mom says she's never seen a Christmas Tree fire, but I still unplug if we are leaving the house. Supposedly unattended candles are a big source of fires, but that seems really obvious to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 For the first 5-10 years of married/kid life, I would not leave the house with them on. Now I do it all the time. I'm not saying that I should, but I do it to make a hectic life more manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do. I keep on top of the lint filters and don't worry further. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do. I keep on top of the lint filters and don't worry further. I did speak to a repair engineer who said that he thought that if the tumble dryer were pioneered now, it wouldn't reach production: the juxtaposition of dry lint and high heat would be deemed unsafe. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Yes, I leave them running when I'm not home. Over the last few years I've become a bit paranoid about it, but haven't changed my ways. Dryer fires tend to be because of lint or bad electrical. Not because the clothes in the drum caught fire. Although that dose happen occasionally when one has washed something soaked in some sort of flammable (like clothing a mechanic wears) then dried. The flammable doesn't always wash away. My paranoia stems from living in an old house with old electric. If I had a new dryer (mine is 2 years old) and a new house, I wouldn't worry over much about leaving the dryer running. (This info brought to you by a 13 year fire fighting vet married to a fire fighter with now 20+ years.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I don't unless it is just a quick run down to the store or something like that. If I'm going to be gone longer than 30-60 minutes, I plan my loads to be finished by then. Same goes for the dishwasher. I had a bad experience with leaving the dishwasher running while we went to church. When we got back after lunch, the heating element had stuck on. The entire contents were destroyed and the counter top and cabinets were too hot to touch. The appliance guy said we were very lucky we didn't burn down our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 NO. We had an electrical fire early in our marriage that started in the fuse box above our clothes dryer (or in the wiring of the dryer itself, never were sure) and so I'm very wary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebecca VA Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 There was a house fire just around the corner from us recently. The family had left their dishwasher running while they went out for the day. They came home to find the entire inside of their home gutted from the fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saraha Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Huh. I never leave the washer on in case of something going wrong and flooding the place, but I will throw a load in the dryer on my way out of the door. I guess I never really thought about a fire because of the dryer before. I guess I learned my new thing for the day! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Do all of you stay in the same room as your machines, then? What about if your machine is in the basement. I guess the assumption is the smoke detector would sound(and given that most people's don't work, that's a big assumption!) and you could act? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I will go out and leave the washer on. More often than not I hang my laundry to dry, but when I do use the dryer I just make sure the lint screen is cleared (in case someone else forgot to do it) before I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I try not to, but admittedly I have gone out with the dryer or dishwasher running. I try not to, for the most part, though. I'm paranoid about the washer, though, and always make sure that's not running. I've known a couple families whose washer overflowed and flooded a couple rooms while they were still home. It would have been much worse if they'd been gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Do all of you stay in the same room as your machines, then? What about if your machine is in the basement. I guess the assumption is the smoke detector would sound(and given that most people's don't work, that's a big assumption!) and you could act? No, of course I do not stay in the laundry room. My laundry room is on the first floor - so I am most likely on the same level. We don't have a huge house - I will notice flooding before it causes as huge problems as it would if left unchecked for hours. In case of fire, I would probably smell smoke, or plastic smoldering, and we do have working smoke detectors on all levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 No. Not the dishwasher, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I never ever ever leave the dryer on when I'm gone, or if we are sleeping. A friend of my family almost lost their house due to a dryer catching fire. They left it on while they were gone, and it was lucily in the garage, not the house. The fire department was able to put it out before it destroyed the whole house, but it was really really close. NO way. And after watching a dishwasher start smoking I don't leave that on either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do. I probably shouldn't. This. I have so few hours in teh day to get it all done, that sometimes when I was headed to work or to various appts I would leave the dryer on so that when I got home I could start it again (every load takes 2 dryer cycles to get dried). That same with going to bed, I often do not go to bed until I turn it on for the second time so when I get up I can fold it all and switch the load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I will go out and leave the washer on. More often than not I hang my laundry to dry, but when I do use the dryer I just make sure the lint screen is cleared (in case someone else forgot to do it) before I go. It isn't just the lint int he screen that you clean that is the problem. There is lint built up in other areas of the dryer, including the hose that vents outside. Just cleaning the screen doesn't make it safe. Seriously, I've seen the damage done from a dryer fire. Please don't do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 (edited) I have never had a problem with my W&D and have no problem throwing a load in before I leave or go to bed. (I'm on my third new set in 29 years. I *hated* the last set. love, love, love my front loaders.). I also clean the lint trap between every single load, and regularly vacuum out the dryer vent section which has a short direct hose to the outside. my dishwasher otoh . . . . one builder special elcheapo leaked because of corrosion, and my current one leaked once because the drain was blocked. I had a regularly overflowing toilet (since replaced) that did far more damage than those dishwashers. Edited August 2, 2011 by gardenmom5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runamuk Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 No. We had a dryer start on fire one New Year's Eve (I just happened to open the dryer door to check on the laundry and saw the flames between the back of the dryer and the drum through the vents in the drum), so I never, ever leave the dryer on when I leave the house or go to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocketgirl Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I once turned my dryer on (on timed) as we headed out of town (so the small load of wet towels wouldn't sit all weekend). We came home 4 days later and the dryer was still on!! The heat had stopped but the load was still tumbling. I had never had my timer not work until then and needless to say we were very lucky we didn't burn down our house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BatmansWife Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Washing machine yes. Dryer no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It isn't just the lint int he screen that you clean that is the problem. There is lint built up in other areas of the dryer, including the hose that vents outside. Just cleaning the screen doesn't make it safe. Seriously, I've seen the damage done from a dryer fire. Please don't do it. It's a condensing dryer: the damp air is passed through a condenser to remove the water and the hot air is recycled back into the dryer. There's no hose to get clogged. There are lint screens on the front which I clean out for every load. I also wash the condenser every three months - it barely has anything on it when I do. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I always turn mine off before I leave the house. Am I just being paranoid? I could stay on top of things better if I could just leave them on! Michelle Washer sometimes. Dryer never. Lots of our family are in the fire service and there are too many stories of dryer vent fires. In fact, we nearly had one ourselves several years ago (dh found the vent hot to the touch and choked with lint). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It's a condensing dryer: the damp air is passed through a condenser to remove the water and the hot air is recycled back into the dryer. There's no hose to get clogged. There are lint screens on the front which I clean out for every load. I also wash the condenser every three months - it barely has anything on it when I do. Laura OK, when I had a dryer like this, I would let it run. You're right, there isn't really a fire hazard with these. And if I hadn't run the dryer all day long, I would never have had clean and dry clothes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyKapers Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I leave the dryer on. We leave the dishwasher on when we go to bed. Until this discussion, I never really never thought about the danger of fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Yep. All the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa R. Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I consider myself a cautious, careful person. Having said that, I've never considered not leaving these appliances on while I'm gone or sleeping. Frequently, the washer and/or dryer are going while we're out of the house. I'll even run both while we're sleeping. I do clean out the dryer vent after each load. Frequently, the dishwasher is on while we're out of the house or asleep. It never occurred to me to be worried about this. Perhaps that's because I've never known anyone with a major house fire. We have insurance and smoke alarms, and I just don't feel unsafe about any of this. I imagine the driving around town is statistically much more dangerous than the dryer and dishwasher running in my empty home. This is one of those things that I'm just not worried about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilsonx6 Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do and probably shouldn't. After reading the post about the crockpot, now I'll be worrying about leaving that on as well. : ( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I consider myself a cautious, careful person. Having said that, I've never considered not leaving these appliances on while I'm gone or sleeping. Frequently, the washer and/or dryer are going while we're out of the house. I'll even run both while we're sleeping. I do clean out the dryer vent after each load. Frequently, the dishwasher is on while we're out of the house or asleep. It never occurred to me to be worried about this. Perhaps that's because I've never known anyone with a major house fire. We have insurance and smoke alarms, and I just don't feel unsafe about any of this. I imagine the driving around town is statistically much more dangerous than the dryer and dishwasher running in my empty home. This is one of those things that I'm just not worried about. :iagree: I can't imagine a dryer fire being "better" if the kids & I are home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I may throw a load of clothes in the washing machine and leave; I don't see a problem with that. But I do not leave the dryer on when I leave. This is due to potential fire hazard, but it has more to do with the fact that the timer is broken and it does not shut off on its own. :rolleyes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 :iagree: I can't imagine a dryer fire being "better" if the kids & I are home. If you are home you could use a fire extinguisher to put it out, or at the very least call the fire department right way, making it more likely your house is saved. Having insurance doesn't mean you can every replace the keep sakes that would be ruined in a total fire. Also, personally, I have pets, and the thought of them being trapped in the house while it burns down sickens me. This really really does happen. I've known someone it happened to. It isn't worth it. I just turn it off, then restart it when I get home. I don't have wrinkles or anything, it is fine that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I consider myself a cautious, careful person. Having said that, I've never considered not leaving these appliances on while I'm gone or sleeping. Frequently, the washer and/or dryer are going while we're out of the house. I'll even run both while we're sleeping. I do clean out the dryer vent after each load. Frequently, the dishwasher is on while we're out of the house or asleep. It never occurred to me to be worried about this. Perhaps that's because I've never known anyone with a major house fire. We have insurance and smoke alarms, and I just don't feel unsafe about any of this. I imagine the driving around town is statistically much more dangerous than the dryer and dishwasher running in my empty home. This is one of those things that I'm just not worried about. :iagree: I also leave my crockpot on (it has a timer) and I set my oven to turn on and start cooking while I'm gone (also has a timer). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdie Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I turn the dryer off when I leave the house. My dd has two ferrets and would not be okay if they perished in a house fire. I leave my washer running while out of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Wow, it never occurred to me that I shouldn't leave the house with these appliances on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 If you are home you could use a fire extinguisher to put it out, or at the very least call the fire department right way, making it more likely your house is saved. Having insurance doesn't mean you can every replace the keep sakes that would be ruined in a total fire. Also, personally, I have pets, and the thought of them being trapped in the house while it burns down sickens me. This really really does happen. I've known someone it happened to. It isn't worth it. I just turn it off, then restart it when I get home. I don't have wrinkles or anything, it is fine that way. Yes, I get that. But I'd rather not be there at all even if I lost the house - if it meant that none of us would be around to get hurt. So I guess if I were afraid of a dryer fire I'd *only turn on the dryer when we were out of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It isn't just the lint int he screen that you clean that is the problem. There is lint built up in other areas of the dryer, including the hose that vents outside. Just cleaning the screen doesn't make it safe. Seriously, I've seen the damage done from a dryer fire. Please don't do it. :iagree: Don't think you are safe just because you clean the screen. Ideally you want new hose once a year and you want to vacuum all the areas you can get to to clean out the lint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firefly Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It isn't just the lint int he screen that you clean that is the problem. There is lint built up in other areas of the dryer, including the hose that vents outside. Just cleaning the screen doesn't make it safe. Seriously, I've seen the damage done from a dryer fire. Please don't do it. I think after reading this thread I won't... DH cleans out the hose/vents regularly, but it's not a big deal to schedule drying when I can be around to monitor it. Better safe than sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Washing machine - yes. The worst that can happen is a flood. Dryer - no. That could cause a fire! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I leave the dryer on. We leave the dishwasher on when we go to bed. Until this discussion, I never really never thought about the danger of fire. We have friends who are members of a volunteer fire department. They say that the biggest cause of fires in homes are dryers and dishwashers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gailmegan Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 It never even occurred to me that I wouldn't want to run these things while away from home. I may have to think about it. It's interesting to me all these posts about firefighters saying dryers are the biggest cause of house fires. I have known quite a few people whose houses burned down and they were all electrical, or accidents with candles, or lightning strikes - or a coat thrown on a BBQ grill that he thought was cold. I've not known one that was from a dryer. this is news to me. Definitely food for thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuvToRead Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I never leave the house with the washer or dryer running. The shut off valve on our old washing broke. Luckily I was home the first time it overflowed or we would have had a huge mess. I had to manually turn on and turn off the water until we could buy a new washer. Also, our dryer has been known to run all night. Something is wrong with the sensor. I know these are freak occurrences, but they both happened to me. Had I not been home, who knows what could have happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 I do. I probably shouldn't. This! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HayleyKC Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Wow. None of this has ever crossed my mind. :-P I leave all of the above on when I leave the house and/or when I go to bed. I love to go to bed knowing work is being done for me while I sleep! Same thing when I leave. Perhaps I should re-think this. Or at least take some precautions first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grace'smom Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Funny you should mention that. A friend of ours couldn't make church this weekend because their dryer had a malfunction (not lint related) and caught on fire last week. In fifteen minutes the house was damaged to the point they can't stay there while it's repaired. They were outside in the yard when it happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.