I think avdave2 has provided some useful perspective here.

Everything has a risk, you have to make a judgement.

A mate of mine is a H&S bod, and is usually very pragmatic about risk assessment for building demolitions etc. But he goes a strange puce colour if you talk about leaving a slow cooker on overnight in the same house as your kids.

Seriously? Get a grip on yourselves. A completely pointless PSA about fire risk

FIFY

One house fire is hardly a PSA.

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!

🙂

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

FFS.

Easy there cowboy. 🙂
This is STW,it’s Friday,so a dishwasher V hand wash argument debate is perfect .

I always knew the day when myself and Hora would join battle together against the forces of illogic and idleness.

How can we lose? 🙂

Obviously, this is STW, and there is no room on work surfaces to put dirty crockery because of all the coffee machines, burr grinders, breadmakers….

I always knew the day when myself and Hora would join battle together against the forces of illogic and idleness.

I think it’s the modern day equivalent of the battle of Mordor, the forces of good verses evil with the very survival of middle Earth at stake.

It’s the Marigolds,isn’t it?

You and Hora love your Marigolds 😛

My hands and lower arms have become hardened and strengthen through years of kung-fu like hand twists as I handwash.

Come on dishwashing softies I’ll take yer!

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

We don’t have a dishwasher, but let’s face it, most things in peoples houses are pointless indulgences that you could make do without.

Some stats from Which:

Washing machines accounted for around 600 fires a year, tumble dryers more than 500, dishwashers 460, ovens 350, and fridges and freezers 300. (Government data from 2011 to March 2013 about faulty appliance fires).

It’s well known that most major manufacturers have had recalls on dish washers due to potential fire risks. Bosch did a massive recall a year or two. NB: Bosch make for more than just themselves, so other brands were also affected.

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

Us too. Dishwashers are better, and that’s all there is to it.

Dinner parties must be a riot at Hora’s house.

You dry and I’ll scrub?

On the pointless indulgence stakes I reckon £200 to not spend 30 minutes a day in front of the sink is worth it. Plus it’s almost an extra cupboard if you’re feeling a bit lazy…

You and Hora love your Marigolds

They are a multifunctional bit of kit.

i find a dish washer very very inefficient.

cook – eat – wife loads dishwasher – I empty and reload dishwasher – start dish washer – unload and dry stuff that isnt dry.

it’d be much quicker to just wash it by hand.

On the subject of coffee makers, bread makers etc. Presumably these carry similar spontaneous combustion risks as they both heat up and get left on sometimes unattended…?

<edit>

We don’t have a dishwasher, but let’s face it, most things in peoples houses are pointless indulgences that you could make do without

You’ve met the wife…? <sigh>

Join us, Chrispy!

cook – eat – wife loads dishwasher – I empty and reload dishwasher – start dish washer – unload and dry stuff that isnt dry.

it’d be much quicker to just wash it by hand.

Maybe you should load occasionally, wife should unload or one of you could do both. Just to shake things up a bit and make life a bit more interesting.

Why do you need to dry stuff?

Those yellow scrubber things harbour lots of bacteria you know.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6R9fY8lfGo[/video]

Im sure you have one in your kitchen and do to infrequent use/change it’ll be a sprawling metropolis of bugs with vice, bug-casinos etc.

My girlfriends grandparents burnt there house down due to a dishwasher fire as if the water flow gets blocked they can and do catch fire. Only amusing side story was her grandmother saved the dog first, before going back in for her husband who had dementia so didn’t know what was going on.

Personally I only put it on when I’m in and awake, makes me feel a bit sick thinking about it catching fire when I’m out but the dogs are locked in as it would be a horrendous way to die.

Im sure you have one in your kitchen and do to infrequent use/change it’ll be a sprawling metropolis of bugs with vice, bug-casinos etc.

I’m sure I don’t, hate the things. If I had some scrubbing to do, I’d use a brillo pad then bin it.

most things in peoples houses are pointless indulgences that you could make do without

Ooh! Let’s make a list. I’ll start:

Carpets
Chairs
TVs
Hi Fis

I’ll add

Tables
Beds
kettles
toasters
freezers

Wow, this thread has gone mad. The message is don’t use a dishwasher/washing machine or drier when you are out of the house or asleep because there is a higher fire risk with them than other household appliances. I’m not sure what the coffee machine comment is all about because I cannot think of a reason to be using a coffee machine (automatically?) when you’re out of the house. By all means use the appliances, but be awake in case there is a fire so you can cut the power.

Having an escape route when asleep is more sensible than worrying about someone who might have already broken into your house being able to open the door. I think your electronic equipment will be gone (through the broken window), rather than the three piece suit out of the door.

Close the internal doors before going to bed and keep a working phone near your bed.

Yes, the chances of fire might be slim, but they’re small steps to take to keep yourself safe. Mention not wearing a helmet while riding to the shops on here and people go mad, yet a head injury is very unlikely.

Presumably these carry similar spontaneous combustion risks as they both heat up and get left on sometimes unattended…?

It’s not necessarily the “heating up” bit that’s the issue.

As demonstrated by Siemens/Bosch that toasted itself (and half the kitchen) sitting there doing absolutely nothing.

Think friend’s Siemens/Bosch dishwasher was one of those eventually part of the recall.

Carpets
Chairs
TVs
Hi Fis

Weirdly I’d happily do without the TV licence, I hate carpets and rather than sit on the sofa I prefer sitting on the floor (I have sofas in two rooms). No idea why.

There was a spate of Beko fridge freezers catching fire. The London Fire Brigade made them aware of a high number of fires caused by their appliances, but they ignored them and kept producing the same design for a few years.

Are your kitchen appliances putting you at risk?

I’ve just had a good look round for unnecessary stuff in our house and it looks like I’m right up there, top of the list

this is the perfect STW thread, I nominate it for thread of the week.

It isn’t just the dishwasher that is trying to kill you:

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/aug/08/experience-my-microwave-nearly-killed-me

I’m v paranoid and switch everything off when I leave the house or overnight – the only exception being the digi-box to record shows – risk vs benefit and all that.

Also have fire extinguisher and fire blanket, which I used to have in the property I let.

The new house I just bought has 5 rooms – and 6 smoke alarms ! Not my doing, blame t’cooncil for that, it was required for the completion cert on the work done by former owners. Now even I think that is overkill. Upstairs there are 3 smoke alarms all within 2 metres of each outer.

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?

Raises hand, but doesn’t really understand why as it does seem to miss the point of this thread by some distance.

Can I add to the “PSA” list of washing machines etc. the exhortation to not leave on charge while asleep or out of the house: laptops, tablets, mobile phones etc. Again, people have lost houses through this. No, I don’t have the statistics so I can’t tell you the probability of it happening, but if it could happen, and I can do something to stop it happening, I’m not personally that bothered – I’m 100% keen to not have it happen to me, thanks.

Weirdly I’d happily do without the TV licence, I hate carpets and rather than sit on the sofa I prefer sitting on the floor (I have sofas in two rooms). No idea why

Is hora saying he is flameproof?

By all means use the appliances, but be awake in case there is a fire so you can cut the power.

Damn,do I have to ditch the Teasmade ? 🙂

Is hora saying he is flameproof?

Yes,he could never have survived STW this long without it.

Can I add to the “PSA” list of washing machines etc. the exhortation to not leave on charge while asleep or out of the house: laptops, tablets, mobile phones etc. Again, people have lost houses through this. No, I don’t have the statistics so I can’t tell you the probability of it happening, but if it could happen, and I can do something to stop it happening

Really?

Why not just have the leccy board disconnect you. It’s the only way to be safe….

Why not just have the leccy board disconnect you. It’s the only way to be safe….

Because that would be really stupid, whereas mitigating the risk of a house fire through some easy actions that won’t massively inconvenience me isn’t?

whereas mitigating the risk

watch out on the on the bike….

Because that would be really stupid,

Worrying about risks which are negligible certainly qualifies in my book.

Worrying about risks which are negligible certainly qualifies in my book.

+1, and this is from someone whose immediate family have over 100 years service in the fire brigade.