[Closed] Don't Run Your Dishwasher Overnight

Same goes for any appliance, really.

A huge amount of the house fires i go to are started by washing machines.

and get a smoke and or heat detector fitted free by your local FS

<logs 20mins CFS>

Off to buy some batteries for the fire alarm tomorrow!
I run my washer/dryer early mornings on a timer due to the economy 7 electricity,,didn't realise they caused so many fires.

I had a close call a couple of years ago- put a second clothes wash on and popped to the local shop for some biscuits.

Came back in and the plug was in full meltdown. Scary stuff. Lesson learned.

My BIL is a fireman. When he stays at ours he insists on shutting our kitchen door every night. To him its more important than locking the front door.

I asked him why. He wanted to show me the photos. I declined - I take his word for it.

They had three smoke alarms. Loud enough that they alerted the neighbours too, which is good!

Why do people have dishwashers? I thought it was a 90's thing! It takes minutes by hand to wash the contents of a machine. Plus you dont have to build up a load. First world laziness.

I HATE dishwashers; they are a waste of electricity and they are, as posted above, the worst example of laziness ever. You can wash the dishes in a few minutes and tidy everything away by hand but with a DW you have to handle everything twice, not to mention that people leave them until a load has built up meaning that by the time you do the wash everything is stinking and the whole thing is a bacterial soup. The dried-on food collects around the door seals and when you open them everything is still wet anyway, plus any bowl that has slipped upright will be full of crappy water. Horrible things.

Why do people have dishwashers? I thought it was a 90's thing! It takes minutes by hand to wash the contents of a machine. Plus you dont have to build up a load. First world laziness.

Please let me next house have a dishwasher and back to the OP having working smoke detectors is on top of the list, just because it's daytime doesn't mean you will notice.

Dishwashres, one of the greatest inventions ever! Anyone who doesn't have one just hasn't seen the light.

globalti - Member
I HATE dishwashers; they are a waste of electricity and they are, as posted above, the worst example of laziness ever.

Laziness? Try outside and primary school morning and night.

Working in the detergent industry you must have the figures 😉

I dont like microwaves either but its a different topic..

Interesting note on running washing machines unattended- cheers

Yep amazingly people actually do measure the difference between the 2 things and a major selling point for new appliances is being more efficient. It probably takes more water to do the same amount of dishes in a sink.

Colleague at work had a fire started by his fridge the other week.

So only run those when you're there to supervise too - oh...

Large number of domestic fires that are started are started by appliances - but is that a large number of fires in absolute terms? What is the risk you are running? And remember firemen have a habit of going to places where there are fires and therefore get a distorted view of the likelihood of fires -as DSL repairs engineers with faults in our industry.

Dishwashers use less water than washing by hand!

What happens if you put the dishwasher on in the day time when no one is about?

And As for smoke alarms being effective,

[url= http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130627131827.htm ]They don't wake your kids up....[/url]

I'll be getting something better than the one we currently have downstairs.

Dishwashers use less water than washing by hand!

What happens if you put the dishwasher on in the day time when no one is about?

Well, I guess you don't go up in smoke with your house.

Large number of domestic fires that are started are started by appliances - but is that a large number of fires in absolute terms? What is the risk you are running? And remember firemen have a habit of going to places where there are fires and therefore get a distorted view of the likelihood of fires -as DSL repairs engineers with faults in our industry.

It's all risk vs benefit. And also risk likelihood and severity of the risk as well.

It might not be very common to have a dishwasher start a fire - I'm sure it isn't. But if it does, at best it's an really big PITA (my friend had exactly the same experience as the OP, kitchen gutted, whole house smoke damaged, fortunately their smoke alarms worked too), at worst - I too have a friend who's a fireman and you wouldn't like the worst. On that basis, the benefit of running it overnight on Economy 7 vs the hassle of being organised to put it on as soon as dinner is done so it runs while we are awake - I know how I balance that against being burnt alive.

As for smoke alarms not waking your kids up. My mate the fireman helped us write a fire escape plan. Part of which is NOT getting the kids moving about until you want them to; so my two are told that if there is a fire and they hear the smoke alarm stay where they are, if they smell smoke put their duvet against the door, wait, and I'll be there to tell them it's safe or to get them out. You don't want to have to search a burning house to find a kid gone astray, I want to know where they are.

Big hat off to all the firefighters. Anyone whose job it is to run into a building when the whole of the rest of humanity knows the sensible thing to do is run out of it, gets my undying support. Yours is one of the jobs that actually wakes me up at night in a sweat, it scares me that much.

I've never understood dishwashers. By the time you've scraped and rinsed the stuff, loaded it, unloaded it, you could have washed it in the sink three times over.

I can't believe that whatever they have to put in dishwasher tablets/rinse aid to get rid of burnt-on filth is less harmful than a single squirt of Fairy.

The figures about using less water/energy seem to be dependant on a comparison with someone who washes up by leaving the hot tap running.

One cycle in a typical dishwasher costs the same in energy and water as heating between four to six washing-up bowls of water in the kitchen sink, or running the hot tap continuously for six to nine minutes (depending on whether the household has a metered or unmetered water supply), Joe Payne of the Energy Saving Trust said.

Does anyone wash up in the sink this way?

Do people still wash up by hand? I thought it was an 80s thing when people didn't care about the environment and wasting energy.

Good to see they are all ok.

Dishwashers, washing machines and dryers cause lots of fires. They should never be on overnight and never when nobody is at home.

Also make sure you have working smoke alarms fitted.

I work in the home fire prevention department of the fire service. Home appilances are common cause of fires.

One cycle in a typical dishwasher costs the same in energy and water as heating between four to six washing-up bowls of water in the kitchen sink, or running the hot tap continuously for six to nine minutes

The way we do it (I've drilled this into my family- incase I'm away on my bike etc)- keep a charged phone by the bed, keys left in doors and if the fire alarm goes off open a window ASAP whilst dialing.

I've got a fire extinguisher kept upstairs by the landing however knowing even what smoke is like near a bonfire etc I'd also go straight to a window (if upstairs).

Our nearest firestation is circa 1.5miles away so I'd hope they'd be here quick.

Interms of washing up- hot sink of soapy water- cool rinse.

We don't have burnt on food nor food thats gone hard (why would anyone do that? I guess if you are waiting to build up a full load you might have stuff in there waiting for a while- but surely every dishwasher load isn't full to the brim and don't you have to rinse off your plates etc first before loading? It just makes the whole thing very labour intensive/hassle when you finish meal/wash/done.

Rinse, Load, load, wait- how full is it? Keep going, rinse, load load. Wheres the knives? Oh there are some dirty ones in the dishwasher (rinses/cleans uses). Again - need another plate. Where are all the plates? In the dishwasher waiting.

With all this I bet dishwasher owners still buy washinh liquid and still do some handwashing because they ate alone/not worth the hassle etc..

**** that.

Get smoke alarms interlinked we fit ones that connect to each other by wifi. One goes off they all go off, has been known to wake my 2 teenage kids.

TBH, the only advice is to get out and worry about dialling 999 when you're on the street.

Hopk1ns - in a risk assessment sort of way, and assuming there are around 15-20 million home in the country (that's a guess) how many fires is lots, and what is the probability of a fire per year, and how would that compare to the ALARP guidelines (you know the triangle diagram one)?

I still don't see it as high risk - high impact though I agree.

I've got a fire extinguisher kept upstairs by the landing

What good is that? Put it next to the dishwasher already! 🙂

Just remember, don't risk your life trying to tackle a fire, just get out and call the fire brigade on 0118 999 881 999 119 7253.

Hora, earlier...

[img] [/img]

Martin agree but we have to get passed the wooden stairs/kitchen.

If its night, dark, confused- I fear my other half trying to get down stairs eith a 5yr old into more smoke.

Question- worthwhile buying smoke hoods? Or paranoia.

Thegreatape tbh a dishwasher would give me more time to raise barns 😉

I don't rinse stuff before putting it in the dishwasher. Still comes out clean.

Believe it or not, I have done plenty of washing up by hand, and I am able to make an informed decision on whether or not I want one. I am nor a sheep, globalti 🙂

Re fires.. Reminds I need to get escape ladders for our house.

Come on STW standards are slipping. Not one comment about the dead patches on the lawn or the spotty planting in the borders.

🙂

It's also possible to get smaller dishwashers - I fitted a narrow one, still big enough to do us, but uses something like 1/4 less water and power than a full size one.

I work in the home fire prevention department of the fire service. Home appilances are common cause of fires.

How many fires in total, though? Something being a common cause of fires isn't the same as the fires being common. Going surfing is a common cause of shark attacks, but shark attacks are very rare.

the one thing i dont get is my mrs insists on rinsing some things before they go in the dishwasher, wtf is that about, to me it means the dishwasher isnt fit for purpose if you have to wash them before you put them in, waste of water, waste of electricity but some battles are not worth fighting, theres bigger battles to to worry about, haha

work in the home fire prevention department of the fire service. Home appilances are common cause of fires.

But how many home fires are there per house?

My dishwasher uses about 10 - 12 litres if water per wash.

It's also a lot more hygienic than hand washing.

There is no way you could wash a full load of dishes in the sink with that amount of water, unless you are washing stuff in filthy, lukewarm water, at the end. You would need to re-fill the bowl several times and you also must have a huge drainer to stack them all on.

the one thing i dont get is my mrs insists on rinsing some things before they go in the dishwasher, wtf is that about, to me it means the dishwasher isnt fit for purpose if you have to wash them before you put them in, waste of water, waste of electricity but some battles are not worth fighting, theres bigger battles to to worry about, haha

As its a Friday..lets have a Friday analogy..

Dishwasher users are like Council departments- meetings discussing what they are going to do and how they'll go about it...whereas sink users are like go-getting private businesses.. just get it ****ing done. 😀

Another thing- after loading it you've got to unload it, moan about the streaks and sometimes scrub the stubborn ones again in the sink with washing up liquid? 😉

Don't Run Your Dishwasher Overnight

I'm perfectly safe, the mrs always has the washing up done before shes allowed to come to bed.

🙂

(I hope she dont see this)

I've owned a couple of dishwashers in my time (both reasonable makes), and neither of them managed to actually get things clean unless you rinsed them first.

For a supposedly time-saving bit of kit, it actually ended up doing the reverse.

And once the cost of the appliance itself, the tablets, the rinse aid, the salt etc got factored in, it was a bit of a no-brainer.

I think it appeals to people who don't like worktop clutter (it's a good place to store dirty crockery).

Hora's dishwasher:

[img] [/img]

Ours manages to get almost everything clean - no rinsing, no soaking first, just bung stuff in and turn it on. The only hassle is remembering to weigh down lightweight plastic things so they don't flip over and fill with water.

We wash as soon as we've eaten. I couldnt imagine not. Conditioning I guess.

GrahamS - so you start with a public safety announcement and end up with first world problem moans. A-typical. 🙂

hey guys, they can burn your house down to.

Amazing how peoples experiences of the same thing can differ. I've always run dishwashers and never rinsed and have never had a problem with things coming up perfectly clean every time. I never use rinse aid or salt, but always have used decent tabs (Finish). Just scrape off the leftover food and pop in the dishwasher, no rinsing. Comes up cleaner than hand washing every time - especially glass. They are far more efficient than hand washing too.

This stuff is scaremongering. Any device in your house can have a fault - what about your fridge? TV? anything that is plugged in - are you going to shut off your electricity every time you go to bed or leave the house? The chances are very slim.

friend did that to his dishwasher.

plugged in (as they all are) but not even running!

fortunately, he was still up at 2am and smelled the burning plastic.

got 6 weeks in a travelodge and free redecoration of the entire downstairs.

I'd suggest your experiences with dishwashers are... ummm... [i]atypical[/i] Hora. 😀

We spent decades washing by hand. We got a slimline dishwasher about four years ago and no way we'd go back!

FWIW we don't rinse things before putting them in the dishwasher (why would you do that?).
We do still hand wash [i]some[/i] things: plastic kids crockery, crystal glasses and big pans

GrahamS - so you start with a public safety announcement and end up with first world problem moans. A-typical.

<Greekwegian voice>

This. IS. SINGLE. TRACK.

I'd suggest your experiences with [s]dishwashers[/s] most things are... ummm... atypical Hora.

This stuff is scaremongering. Any device in your house can have a fault - what about your fridge? TV?

I guess some appliances are more risky than others due to the power they use. A telly on standby is pulling less than 1 watt. A running dishwasher has to operate pumps and a big heating element = lots of watts.

We wash as soon as we've eaten. I couldnt imagine not. Conditioning I guess.

Wow what a waste of water and power - you should get a dishwasher. 😉

id have 2 dishwashers if i could and just alternate them, never any need to unpack

We wash as soon as we've eaten. I couldnt imagine not.

I do. My wife on the other hand will leave stuff for days, maybe even years. I do a lot of washing up in our house.

Our DW broke down about 2.5 years ago and we haven't got round to replacing it as other stuff keeps getting in the way.

I HATE washing up!!!!! wanders off to currys website.........

Oh and dishwashers are like extra cupboard space you just alternate between clean and dirty!!

But do you hate it more than spending £200 on bike bits?

You make a very good point!!

We wash as soon as we've eaten. I couldnt imagine not. Conditioning I guess.

Before or after the brandy and cigars?

[i]I HATE washing up!!!!! [/i]

This!
Packing and unpacking a dishwasher is so much easier and less tedious.
I got a (slimline) Bosch for £80 on eBay and I only have washing up for one person 🙂
I will not heed Graham's overnight wash warning, I'm just not paranoid enough.

[img] [/img]

🙂

Our dishwasher seems to get things clean. Cleaner than by hand. And I can't wash things by hand at 70 degrees, so I'd bet that the robot is more hygienic, than 35 degree fairy liquid and a mucky tea towel.

re: the dishwasher energy thing, these widgets often have a button labelled "half load". Amazingly, it uses half the water and about half the electric.

In the interests of one-upmanship we managed to set fire to the local sports centre with a dishwasher. The mountaineering club I belong to has a half share in a climbing wall and we use a dishwasher to periodically degrease the holds. As it happens, one time (in band camp) this lead to the dishwasher spontaneously combusting and a six figure insurance claim for the consequential smoke damage.

We only run the new washer when someone's around now :-/

Hora - don't leave the keys in the door, it just makes it easy for anyone breaking in to unload in the middle of the night because they can open the door without breaking it (after coming in through a back window)

Hora - don't leave the keys in the door, it just makes it easy for anyone breaking in to unload in the middle of the night because they can open the door without breaking it (after coming in through a back window)

haven't heard this one before. But what are they gonna nick if the door is openable? Surely the main targets in a house these days would be the tablet/laptop, the jewellery, the car keys. All easily stashed in a coat for exit via the window...

also on the dishwasher/laziness argument - who here both does the majority of the washing up in their house (be honest) AND thinks dishwashers are pointless indulgences?

who here both does the majority of the washing up in their house (be honest) AND thinks dishwashers are pointless indulgences?

Raises hand.

When I have a kitchen big enough, I will have two dishwashers. Fill one up. Use crockery, cutlery, etc as required. When finished, simply load into 2nd dishwasher until full. Repeat from 2nd to 1st. No cutlery drawer or crockery cupboard needed. 😀

[i]Same goes for any appliance, really. [/i]

Eh, you only put on the dishwasher, washing machine, tumble, fridge and freezer when you are in and able to watch it? Doubt it.

And on the subject of dishwashers, had them pretty much all my life as my folks got one when I was about 7 y/o (early 70's, first kid in the school with one), and then when I got my first place bought one and in every house since.

I've never understood dishwashers. By the time you've scraped and rinsed the stuff, loaded it, unloaded it, you could have washed it in the sink three times over.

There's your problem. I've never rinsed anything before chucking it in the dishwasher.

[i]Why do people have dishwashers? I thought it was a 90's thing! It takes minutes by hand to wash the contents of a machine. Plus you dont have to build up a load. First world laziness. [/i]

It doesn't take 'minutes' to wash pots, pans, plates, cutlery, glasses, etc after a meal. A couple of plates after breakfast, yep, after an evening meal a fair bit longer.

Time is far too precious to be standing at a sink washing up, I'd rather spend the time doing other stuff. That's for losers.

You have to build up a load - yep and how long do you think that takes?

who here both does the majority of the washing up in their house (be honest) AND thinks dishwashers are pointless indulgences?

Me.

I've already done two lots of washing up before I left for work.

Load
Unload

Time is precious? Washing two pans, four plates and cutlery takes how long compared to load/unload? Not much longer..

who here both does the majority of the washing up in their house (be honest) AND thinks dishwashers are pointless indulgences?

We did get the big double oven and 5 burner hob though!

[i]how long compared to load/unload? [/i]

What do you do with the items after you've washed them by hand?

who here both does the majority of the washing up in their house (be honest) AND thinks dishwashers are pointless indulgences?

Until a year or two ago this was exactly me.

New house came with a dishwasher though and it has won me over with its seductive ways, especially now we have two kids.

What do you do with the items after you've washed them by hand?

Put them in a rack on the drainer to dry?

Seriously? Get a grip on yourselves. A PSA about fire risk and people are bitching about whether to wash by hand or not.

FFS.

fair enough. in our house, it's the person who doesn't do so much washing up (my dear wife) who thinks dishwashers are pointless 😉

In 2013-14, there were 258 dwelling fire fatalities

Smokers’ materials (e.g. cigarettes, cigars or pipe tobacco)
caused the largest share of deaths in accidental dwelling
fires (37%), while cooking appliances are the source of ignition
in more than half of accidental fires in dwellings.

Road deaths in 2013 were 1713

You're far more likely to need the fire brigade to cut you out of your car or lift a tipper truck off your bike than rescue you from a fire!

So by all means get a dishwasher but get it delivered rather than drive to pick it up.

[i]Put them in a rack on the drainer to dry?[/i]

and leave them there?

Not sure what Hora is hoping to gain anyway. Everyone who uses a dishwasher will suddenly go "UH DUH YEAH! I could do this by hand.."
[img] [/img]

[i]Time is precious? Washing two pans, four plates and cutlery takes how long compared to load/unload? Not much longer..[/i]

What sort of meal involves just two pans? Do you use glasses and utensils?

Anyway washing up would completely ruin our white corian sink.