Is there any risk of leaving the dryer on too long?

[manlymatt83]

Just put a load of laundry in the dryer. Timer on it goes up to 130 minutes. Its a full load, and I want to go to bed, so I'd like to put it on for the max to ensure it dries. But 130 minutes could easily turn into way too much. Any chance of that causing a fire, or will my clothes just be really hot and dry?

 

[Kirby64]

You'll be fine. I frequently dry my clothes for like 2 hours at home.

Worst case scenario: They dry a ton, get fairly hot, and start to get wrinkly.

 

[Canai]

They'll be wrinkly.

The drier in the basement here runs for ~50 mins, and I've never had anything wet come out of it.

 

[Chiropteran]

I suggest putting a small animal in with your laundry, such as a canary. If the canary dies, you know it's too hot and you can shut off the dryer.

 

[nanette1985]

It should be safe, but it's not good for the clothes. You'll shorten their useful life by baking them too much.

 

[MisterJackson]

I just kick it on for half the dry time before I get to bed. Then, in the morning I wake up and kick it on for the remaining time. The clothes are still damp, so the last little bit will dry while I'm in the shower and no wrinklage!

 

[jumpr]

Doesn't your dryer have an automatic setting? Most dryers manufactured in the last 20 years have a humidity sensor on the exhaust outlet and an automatic setting on the dial.

 

[spaceman]

i would never run a dryer asleep or out of the house.

 

[EagleKeeper]

You would be better off putting a half load in the dryer at a time.

To much prevents the hot air from circulating and drying them properly.

Filling up the dryer more than half a drum is a waste of enegery.

 

[thomsbrain]

Auto dry FTW! Set it and forget it.

 

[LS8]

Originally posted by: manlymatt83
Is there any risk of leaving the dryer on too long?

[Denzel Washington]Nuclear Holocaust![/Denzel Washington]

 

[Axoliien]

Originally posted by: spaceman
i would never run a dryer asleep or out of the house.

Do you get your vents cleaned each year? Congested or clogged vents cause a lot of accidental house fires from clothes dryers. I'm not really a worrier but it is a real issue out there.