Keep Young Kids Safe From Front-Load Washing Machine Accidents (original) (raw)

Lock the Door to Your Laundry Room The absolute best plan is to prevent your kids from getting access to the washer at all. “If your washer and dryer are in a separate room, close the door and lock it,” says Richard Handel, who oversees CR’s tests of laundry appliances. “Do not let young children play in the laundry room, period.”

Keep the Washer Door Shut Leaving the door open on front-loaders can help prevent mold, but if you have young children at home, keep the door closed. You can dry off the washer’s rim and inside of the door after washing a load to help keep mold down if that is a concern.

Engage the Washer’s Lock-Out Feature Many washers these days have a lock-out or child-lock feature—typically activated by holding a combination of buttons or holding a button down for a certain number of seconds. How they function and what they do varies: On some models, it locks the washer door and prevents a child from opening it; on others, it prevents the machine from starting. If you’re unclear what the child lock on your machine does, check the manual.

Use a Childproof Safety Lock A lock you put on the outside of a front-load washer’s door will also prevent your child from opening it. The concept is the same as a lock for cabinet or oven doors. It's a good idea to put one on your dryer, too.

Shut Off the Water When your washer is not in use, turn off the water valve that feeds it. Most front-loading washers will stop running and show an error code if the water is off.

Consider Installing Additional Power Switches “Hire an electrician to wire a ‘master’ switch for the washer and another for the dryer that you can turn off when it’s not in use,” says Jim Nanni, associate director of CR’s appliance testing. “That way your child won’t be able to turn on the appliances even if she can reach the buttons.” (Such shut-off switches are required by code for mechanical equipment such as boilers.) Just make sure the switch is located out of sight and out of reach of small children.

Beware of Laundry Pods, Too In addition to safety precautions with washers, keep in mind that laundry detergent packets, also known as pods or pacs, can be especially tempting, and dangerous, to young children.

“CR believes liquid laundry pods should be avoided in homes where children under 6 years old or adults who are cognitively impaired may be present,” says Don Huber, director of product safety for Consumer Reports. “Contact with or ingestion of the packet's liquid contents may pose a risk of serious injury or death.”