Exploding washing machine doors

Which? have uncovered hundreds of cases of washing machine glass doors exploding

This is a scary thought! If you have children and they are anything like my children were when they were toddlers, they used to love to sit and watch the washing machine spinning round and round whilst I prepared lunch.

Combining a variety of sources, Which? have now unearthed 280 reports of washing machine, washer-dryer or tumble dryer glass doors cracking or shattering. The oldest dates back to 2010, but there are plenty of recent reports.

Beko had the worst track record for exploding washing machine doors with 41% of complaints, Hot Point came second with 10%.

Which? asked Beko why their washing machines have a worse record than any other brand and they said ‘The issue is extremely rare – out of more than three million washing machines sold by Beko since 2010, there have been 115 reported incidents, less than 0.003%.’

The odds of your machine’s door shattering are slim, but there are simple steps you can take to make it even less likely:

• Wash items which have metal parts, such as buttons and zips, in a laundry bag.
• Don’t overload the machine by putting too much washing in it – this can put too much pressure on the glass door.
• But don’t put too little in either, as just having one or two heavy items can make the machine unbalanced.
• Which? experts advise setting a lower spin speed, if your machine has the option.
• If you’re very worried about the risk, or think your machine is making unusual noises mid-cycle, hanging a towel over the door would provide a rudimentary shield if the glass shattered.

Have you ever experienced your washing machine door explode?

For more information and the full report on this, see the Which? web post here…