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What's Normal? - Do you run your washing machine when nobody is home? (1 Viewer)

Do you do laundry (in a washing machine) even when there is nobody home?

  • Total voters
    140
We do often. Although our neighbor who sells homeowners insurance recommends against it highly.

ETA: we do the same with our dryer, but that's a poll for a different day.
 
Washing machine, yes. Although it’s not all that often that there’s nobody home with 4 adults, two teens and a 9yo in the house (she’s almost never home alone).

Dryer will be a no.
 
I went with yes, because I have no qualms against it. However, I can't remember the last time the washer was run with nobody home. Wife and I both work at home 3+ days a week, so someone is always here.
 
I feel like this is an acceptable risk. We've been using a washing machine for 30+ years 5+ times/week (7,500+ washes) and never had one issue even where water leaked. This seems like one of those "it could happen!" risks that people worry about when it is very, very rare. I will take my chances. We also don't turn off our water supply when we leave for vacation and the insurance guy recommends that too.
 
Wildcat said:
I feel like this is an acceptable risk. We've been using a washing machine for 30+ years 5+ times/week (7,500+ washes) and never had one issue even where water leaked. This seems like one of those "it could happen!" risks that people worry about when it is very, very rare. I will take my chances. We also don't turn off our water supply when we leave for vacation and the insurance guy recommends that too.
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Our neighbor had a water line in their roof corrode when they were on vacation. They had to gut multiple rooms in their house, the repair had to of cost them 50k minimum.

I would strongly suggest you reconsider turning off the water.
 
Yes, but our machine is in the basement so we might as well leave the house because we probably wouldn't know if something happened.
 
According to the below there are 1200 house fires a year caused by washing machines(15970*0.08).

We run our washing machine while we are out and will continue to do so.




https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Resea...involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines

In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.

These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.

The vast majority of fires (92%) involved clothes dryers.
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"regularly"? No. Do I/have I? Yes. Ours has a delay timer so I'll set up a load, put it on an hour delay and then go out for a couple of hours. Finishes right as I get home.
 
I answered yes but not sure about regularly. Basically we do the laundry when it needs it independent of our schedule for the day
 
MTskibum said:
According to the below there are 1200 house fires a year caused by washing machines(15970*0.08).

We run our washing machine while we are out and will continue to do so.




https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Resea...involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines

In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.

These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.

The vast majority of fires (92%) involved clothes dryers.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Isn't the larger concern a burst water line? With a washing machine I'm more worried about water than fire.
 
I do not run washing machine or dishwasher if no one is home.

My wife however does and it is always a constant argument
 
MTskibum said:
According to the below there are 1200 house fires a year caused by washing machines(15970*0.08).

We run our washing machine while we are out and will continue to do so.




https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Resea...involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines

In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.

These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.

The vast majority of fires (92%) involved clothes dryers.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I'm not concerned about fire. I'm concerned that the time the water decides to break is the time I'm not home.....
 
belljr said:
I'm concerned that the time the water decides to break is the time I'm not home.....
Click to expand...
This happened to me 3 years ago next month. It wasn't the washing machine, though - the water line to the toilet in my guest bath split while I was at work. The guy who mows my lawn called me and said he could see water pouring out from under my siding. I ran home and it was un-good. I don't know how I didn't have an electrical fire as water was pouring over the panel in my basement. The plumber estimated I had upwards of 4,000 gallons of water dumped into my house. All new flooring throughout the house, all new paint, new lower cabinets in the kitchen, basement stripped, some new furniture, and about 10 bazillion gray hairs.

I'm not particularly worried about the washer doing something similar, but I don't need to run it when I'm not home.
 
We will, but not deliberately. We'll do it if we are out for a few hours... and generally do not do the same for the dryer as we pull items out mid drying.
 
I haven't done laundry in like ten years. That said, my wife will routinely put clothes in then run errands or whatever. So, I interpreted "you" to mean household, so I answered yes.
 
we will run our dishwasher at night, so we can put everything away in the morning.... or sometimes after we clean up after dinner.
 
Spent most of my 20's forgetting I had started to do laundry, so I know all about musty wet clothes left in a machine. So I would not do it, but not for safety reasons.

Laundry always coincides with other housework for me. I am definitely more efficient when I have these little time brackets. OK, put that load in, gonna clean the bathroom, then fire up the dryer, then get started on dinner--whatever. I suppose a household errand that might involve leaving the house during a cycle has happened, but I am sure I synced it up with the drying cycle.

I also don't have household laundry. I have 'just me' laundry. Heck, I clean the sheets more often than needed so the towels aren't lonely..
 
Yes, I will leave the house with food slowly cooking in the stove, crockpot or smoker. I don't live my life in fear. If the house floods or burns down my house is insured.
 
Last edited:
belljr said:
Why do you guys want your wet clothes laying around in the wash ....... they get musty
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Wash em again if they do. Musty doesn't have to be a permanent condition. People who start a load before leaving the house plan on coming back before the clothes get musty.
 
I have to run my dishwasher on the way out (with my dog) because the washing cycle causes him anxiety. I take my chances I guess.
 
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Fairly rare, but I answered yes. I don't mind that risk. We don't plan it that way, however if we are doing laundry it is likely that we didn't have somewhere else to be at that time anyway. If something comes up where I decide I need to leave, I will without much thought.
 
belljr said:
Dezbelief said:
belljr said:
Why do you guys want your wet clothes laying around in the wash ....... they get musty
Click to expand...
Wash em again if they do. Musty doesn't have to be a permanent condition. People who start a load before leaving the house plan on coming back before the clothes get musty.
Click to expand...
Then why not wait until you were going to wash them the second time ;)
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I don't think people are starting the wash cycle and then going on vacation - I'm sure it's running out to the SuperMarket or pick up a pizza or something.
 
Poke_4_Life said:
MTskibum said:
According to the below there are 1200 house fires a year caused by washing machines(15970*0.08).

We run our washing machine while we are out and will continue to do so.




https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Resea...involving-clothes-dryers-and-washing-machines

In 2010-2014, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 15,970 home structure fires involving clothes dryers or washing machines each year.

These fires caused annual averages of 13 civilian deaths, 444 civilian injuries, and $238 million in direct property damage.

The vast majority of fires (92%) involved clothes dryers.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Isn't the larger concern a burst water line? With a washing machine I'm more worried about water than fire.
Click to expand...
It doesn't really matter if it's running or not. The hoses that supply the washer are under pressure unless you manually turn them off each time. Replace them with a good quality reinforced braided hose for better peace of mind. Toilet, sink, and dishwasher supply hoses same story. And maybe add leak detectors to the floor of each connection.
 
Where was the option of "I don't do the laundry.....my wife does"?

That being said, she will run the washing machine/dryer when we aren't home. It's more of a load is started and then we have something we have to go to so we leave.
 
Fear


Yes some engineer thought it would be a good idea to mount a drain pump on a plastic bracket. When that fails the drain pump hangs by the hose. Over time the pump comes loose and the water doesn't go down the drain but instead comes through your ceiling and hits you on the head while you're sitting on your couch. As I recall, the washer keeps pumping water to hit a fill level it never achieves.

The replacement part was metal and apparently this was a common failure. No recall, no compensation.
 
Pretty much someone always in apart from occasionally at weekends, but I'd have no problems with set and forget as I go out to do stuff
 
I once moved into a new apartment and started a load of laundry while still unpacking. The washer hadn't been connected to the drain line and it flooded the place. So, I guess I see why someone might not. However I have also run 100's of loads of laundry without a problem. The biggest thing that would stop me is I don't want to let things sit wet when done.
 
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