An explosion in a washing machine sounds bizarre: But it can happen simply because of improper handling of laundry

When I moved into my own place, some of my friends joked that I wasn’t exactly the type of person who could take care of myself. My parents cooked and did my laundry for a long time, of course I knew it would be challenging. But when one of my friends said that my washing machine was sure to explode the first chance it got, I laughed at him, thinking that such a thing was impossible. It was a mistake. It is possible. Fortunately, it hasn’t happened to me yet, but there have indeed been cases where mishandling of this appliance has caused explosions and fires.

Sorting the laundry correctly seemed to be a difficult task. Once I had mastered it, I felt that nothing worse would come. But even loading the washing machine correctly and choosing the best program is sometimes hard enough. And you also need to make sure you choose the right laundry detergent. The wrong ones, together with an overcrowded drum , can do a lot of damage.

When can a washing machine explode?

Washing machine manufacturers sometimes warn in their instructions against using highly toxic substances. And I thought, why would anyone write something like that? I mean, it’s clear that you’re not going to put gasoline or solvent in your washing machine. Obviously it’s not clear, and there are some people that are trying slightly stronger calibers instead of regular cleaners. Some stain removers are designed to be used to clean clothes by hand. Once they heat up in the washing machine, the risk of explosion is pretty high.

“Flammable liquids are extremely dangerous because their vapors can form an explosive mixture with air, and if an ignition source is present, a fire or explosion can occur,” says ESIG. This general rule makes it clear that if you overfill a washing machine with laundry and turn it up to a higher temperature on top of that, an explosion can easily occur.

It’s not just the damage to the washing machine

Getting a washing machine was a big life step for me personally. It was the first major money appliance that I purchased on my own. So I’m definitely careful not to destroy the washing machine and have to deal with this investment again. And yet, there are people who take risks. And they don’t realize that they’re risking not only the life of the washing machine, but the life of their entire bathroom. At the very least.

“Appliances are a fire risk because of the high wattage, friction and motors. Products that cause any problems should be unplugged whenever you leave the house. Make sure you have a working smoke detector on every floor of the house and know your escape plan in the event of a fire,” writes Hannah Grostate, who specialises in fire protection. She also points out that pouring flammable substances into appliances in particular is a big risk.

One should only ever use products in the washing machine that are designed for that purpose, i.e. washing powders, capsules, fabric softeners or bleach designed for washing machines. If you think you want to remove a stain with stronger chemicals, throw the idea away very quickly. Your passion for cleanliness could very easily be the spark to set your whole apartment or house on fire.