8 ways you can make your appliances more safe
This is part 2 of a series on the dangers of white goods appliances and how to reduce risk at home. If you haven’t already, read part 1 first: how dangerous are our appliances? These are practical, in-depth steps with reasons behind each one – not a shallow list of dos and don’ts.
More fires are caused by white goods appliances than most people realise, and only a fraction are nationally reported. In a significant proportion of cases, being more aware – or following manufacturer instructions correctly – could have prevented the incident. These eight steps address that directly.
1. Make the Effort to Be More Aware
Awareness is the foundation of all the other steps. The risks from white goods appliances are real and happen in ordinary homes – not just in unusual circumstances. Understanding those risks is the first step to reducing them.
One of the most consistent patterns in appliance fire incidents is that the risk was known but not acted on. Being aware is not enough on its own – awareness has to translate into behaviour. Take notice of reports of appliance incidents. Look for what went wrong and whether the same situation could arise at home.
Charging devices, for example, is one area where incidents are frequently reported. The risk from a faulty or counterfeit charger may be difficult to eliminate entirely, but the consequences can be dramatically reduced by never charging a device on or next to flammable surfaces, and never leaving something charging completely unattended in an empty house.
Do not overload wall sockets. See: extension leads and cables with appliances.
2. Don’t Leave Appliances Running Unattended
An appliance fire in an empty house or while occupants are asleep is dramatically more damaging than one that is discovered quickly. With no one present to smell smoke or notice a problem, a small electrical fault can develop into a full kitchen or house fire before any alert is possible.
Washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers do not need to run unattended. Leaving one of these appliances running while out of the house or in bed is purely a matter of convenience – it is never a necessity. The probability of something going wrong on any given cycle is low, but the consequence of it happening without anyone present is potentially catastrophic. Thousands of homes are damaged or destroyed by appliance fires every year in the UK.
See the full guide: risks of leaving a washing machine, tumble dryer, or dishwasher running when out or in bed. Also: dishwasher fire risks.
3. Always Read the Instruction Manual
User error and failure to follow manufacturer instructions is a major contributor to appliance incidents – in some categories, it is the leading cause. Modern white goods are substantially more complex than previous generations, with many more components, operating modes, and maintenance requirements. The manuals reflect this.
Many manuals contain serious safety warnings that most owners never read. As an example, one standard tumble dryer manual contains the following warning:
“…if the drying programme is interrupted before the end of the cooling down phase, this could cause the laundry to self-ignite.”
This is an extremely serious warning – laundry that can catch fire after the cycle ends – buried in a list of routine instructions without any special prominence. Not reading and understanding it could have catastrophic consequences. See the related guide: how can a tumble dryer catch fire when unplugged?
Manufacturers could do more to make critical safety information prominent. Until they do, reading the manual carefully is the owner’s responsibility. For existing appliances, reading the manual again is worthwhile – it is common to find important information that was not absorbed when the appliance was first installed. Lost the manual? See: download white goods instruction manuals.
Long manuals can be difficult to absorb in one sitting. One effective approach is to do an initial read on the day of installation, then keep the manual accessible for the first week and return to it several times. This helps important information to be retained rather than forgotten. At minimum, always seek out and read the warnings sections before using any new appliance.
4. Use Smoke Alarms Near Appliances
Smoke alarms provide the earliest possible warning of a developing fire. Being alerted even a few minutes sooner can be the difference between a manageable incident and a serious one. Smoke alarms close to white goods appliances – particularly washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers – make sense.
Kitchens are problematic for standard smoke alarms because cooking produces smoke and steam that trigger false alarms. Heat alarms, which respond to temperature rather than smoke, are designed for kitchen use and are a practical alternative. Check the guidance from the UK Fire Service: UK Fire Service smoke alarm advice.
Smoke alarms alone are not a reason to leave appliances running at night. The right approach is simply not to run washing machines, tumble dryers, or dishwashers overnight.
5. Keep a Fire Extinguisher Near Appliances
Being alerted to a fire early is far more useful when there is something available to tackle it. A small fire extinguisher suitable for electrical fires, placed in the kitchen or utility room, makes it possible to address a very small contained fire before it develops – rather than simply evacuating and waiting for the fire brigade to arrive.
Home fire extinguishers are relatively inexpensive, last for many years, and require no ongoing maintenance other than a periodic check that the pressure indicator is in the green zone. For most households, a CO2 extinguisher is the appropriate choice for electrical appliance fires.
See the full guide: home fire extinguishers near appliances.
6. Register Your Appliances
Registering an appliance with the manufacturer is one of the most important steps an owner can take, and one of the most commonly overlooked. When manufacturers discover a serious safety issue – sometimes years after an appliance was sold – they need to be able to reach the owner to issue a safety notice.
Without registration, there is no reliable way for the manufacturer to contact owners of affected products directly. Safety notices may be publicised through retailers, media, and websites like Whitegoods Help, but direct contact from the manufacturer is the most certain way of finding out.
See the full guide: should you register your appliance guarantee?
7. Stay Informed About Safety Notices and Product Recalls
New safety notices are issued regularly. Staying aware of them means finding out quickly if an appliance already in use is known to have a safety problem, so it can be stopped, repaired, or replaced before an incident occurs.
Several databases allow UK residents to register for product recall and safety notice notifications. The Electrical Safety First product recalls register is a comprehensive resource: Electrical Safety First product recalls and safety notices.
Whitegoods Help publishes safety notices as they are identified. See the full list on the appliance safety notices page.
8. Check All Known Safety Notices Now
Before any incident occurs, it is worth checking all published safety notices to see whether any appliance currently in use is already known to have a problem. This takes a few minutes and could identify a serious issue that the owner was unaware of.
Need a repair or want to check an appliance?
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to leave a washing machine or tumble dryer running at night?
No – Whitegoods Help strongly advises against it. An appliance fire that starts while occupants are asleep is significantly more dangerous than one that is noticed quickly. Running washing machines, tumble dryers, and dishwashers only when someone is awake and at home is a straightforward way to reduce risk substantially. See: risks of leaving appliances running when out or in bed.
How important is it to read the instruction manual?
Very important. User error and failure to follow manufacturer instructions is one of the leading causes of appliance incidents. Modern appliances are complex and their manuals contain genuine safety warnings – some very serious – that many owners never read. At minimum, always read the warnings sections before using any new appliance, and revisit the manual for existing appliances you may not have read carefully the first time.
Do I really need to register my appliance?
Yes. Manufacturers discovering safety issues sometimes years after sale need to be able to contact owners directly. Without registration, there is no reliable way for the manufacturer to reach you if a recall or safety notice is issued for your specific appliance. Registration takes a few minutes and costs nothing. See: should you register your guarantee?
What type of fire extinguisher should I have near kitchen appliances?
A CO2 (carbon dioxide) extinguisher is the most appropriate choice for electrical appliance fires in a kitchen or utility room. It is safe to use on electrical equipment and leaves no residue. Never use a water extinguisher on an electrical fire. See the full guide: home fire extinguishers near appliances.
Where can I find out about appliance safety notices and recalls?
Whitegoods Help publishes safety notices as they are identified – see the appliance safety notices page. Electrical Safety First also maintains a comprehensive product recalls database: Electrical Safety First product recalls. Registering your appliances with manufacturers ensures direct contact if a recall is issued.
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