General Question

elbanditoroso's avatar

Do you leave the dryer on when you are not at home?

Asked by elbanditoroso (33578points) March 3rd, 2016

Or, for that matter, your dishwasher or your clothes washer?

Some people that I know will not leave their house if any of these appliances is still running. (electric dryer, not gas). I think that this might be overcautious behavior left over from the 1940s-1950s when appliances weren’t as trustworthy as they are today.

I never give it another thought: if the washer or dryer is running and I have to leave, so be it. I figure that the cycle will end by itself.

Will you leave your home when the washer, dryer, or dishwasher is running?

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19 Answers

Stinley's avatar

Yes I leave them all running, all at the same time. I do shut the doors to the rooms that the appliances are in, to contain a fire if one were to break out

rojo's avatar

We don’t but ours has a faulty timer and will not shut off and for some reason a new timer is about the third of the cost of a new washer.

jca's avatar

I don’t usually. I especially won’t with the clothes dryer. I will also unplug the hair dryer when not in use, and the iron when not in use, even though the iron has automatic shut off.

The washing machine and dishwasher I pay less attention to. However, like today, I was going to throw in a load into the machine, but decided against it since I was going to leave the house.

So to answer the question, if they’re on, they’ll stay on but I try not to start them if I’m going to be leaving.

canidmajor's avatar

Yes, and I leave the furnace running, and the hot water heater as well.

chyna's avatar

No I don’t leave the washer or dryer or dishwasher running while I’m gone. I also unplug things I’m not using like the toaster, hair dryer, etc.
I’m afraid of something catching on fire and my dog would be trapped in the house.

Pachy's avatar

I have no concern about letting my washer and dryer and dishwasher run when I’m out. However, I normally do turn off my computer, TV, and subwolfer off when I’m away for more than a few hours.

Aster's avatar

Yes. I’ve never given it a second thought. If I had very old appliances I might now, though, so thanks for the question.

ibstubro's avatar

Yup.
Washer, dryer, dishwasher…I’ll leave any of them running without a second thought.

@canidmajor beat me to mentioning that the furnace/AC and hot water heater have to look after themselves as well. I don’t even know the water softener’s cycle.
Heck, I’ve thrown caution to the wind and left the oven on while I ran errands.

Try turning the fridge and freezer off every time you leave!

stanleybmanly's avatar

All 3 all the time.

SecondHandStoke's avatar

I will leave the house with the dryer running but it doesn’t happen often.

Only underwear and not-so-special socks get machine dried.

All other washables are washed gently by machine or hand depending, then spun multiple times and then hang or flat dried.

My wife said early on “I’m not going to do your laundry.”

I replied “No, you’re not.”

Adagio's avatar

~ Clothes dryer, no, I turn it off.
~ Washing machine, I will leave it running without a second thought.
~ Dishwasher, easy, I don’t own one.
~ I always unplug the computer at night, in case of lightning but also because I can’t stand the light given off by the standby light.

augustlan's avatar

For the clothes dryer only: If I’m gone, yes. If I’m asleep, no. I figure the worst that can happen while I’m gone is a house fire. The worst thing that can happen while I’m asleep is I die. I also never went to sleep (or left the house) with even an ember still glowing in a fireplace. Growing up in a firefighter family will drill some shit into your subconscious.

I have no problem running a washer or dishwasher while I’m sleeping, though. I do unplug small appliances when not in use.

Earthbound_Misfit's avatar

I don’t use the tumble dryer.

I’d leave the dishwasher or washing machine running when I’m out. I also don’t unplug appliances.

ARE_you_kidding_me's avatar

Dryers are a major source of house fires, no way I’m leaving it. Dish washer I’ll disable heated dry.

ibstubro's avatar

I hate the dishwasher’s heated dry, @ARE_you_kidding_me .

LBM's avatar

We mainly put the dishwasher on overnight as it is cheaper. I do put the tumble drier on if I nip to the shop, thoughmy SO does not like that.

ibstubro's avatar

On rare occasion I’ve left the oven on when I wasn’t home.

I don’t believe my presence magically prevents my appliances from misbehaving.

jca's avatar

About six months ago, @ibstubro, I was running the dishwasher and I started smelling a weird plastic burning smell. I opened the dishwasher door and discovered a plastic item had been ejected from the silverware caddy and landed on the heating element. Luckily, I was home to remove the plastic item and all was well. For me, it’s not a matter of thinking the appliances will behave any differently whether I’m home or not home, it’s more a matter of being around in case something bad happens.

Stinley's avatar

@jca the element is exposed? That seems highly dangerous for the reason you cite. Every dishwasher I have had has had a cover over the base area. (This is possibly the result of EU health and safety laws….)

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