Washing Machine Toddler Defense
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on.
Replace the doorknob with one that incorporates a "storeroom lockset." It's like the normal entry lockset like you'd have on your front door, but there's no button on the inside: it can always be opened from the inside, but requires a key from the outside every time the door shuts.
I use a storeroom lock to keep my kids out of my home networking closet. I'm thinking about putting one on the basement door, too.
(It's not weird/exotic/expensive BTW; it's just more common in commercial buildings than residential ones. It should cost about the same as a normal entry-lockset doorknob.)
See also: https://flyinglocksmiths.com/blog/the-five-lockset-functions/
For bonus points, install a door closer (or just a tension spring) to make sure it latches shut every time you walk away.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven’t been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it’s done - but that’s just not how things roll in our house.
You could get a "smart" plug and use Home Assistant to monitor the energy usage and shut the plug off after the washer stops drawing power, but unless you already have a smart home setup that's super overkill.
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
Washing Machine Toddler Defense
I was expecting some complex legal strategy...
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Or i could, you know... fix my house so a toddlers safety is not dependent on someone remembering to pull a cord?
So what your telling me is that, if you have a candle lit, you would rather just put up a bunch of barriers around it so no one can touch it instead of blowing it out?
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
Put a kitchen gate in
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
Have you considered a mechanical timer? After a quick search I found this model in particular. The description says that it can handle up to 96 on/off-cycles with 15 minute incements.
In your case it would be used the following way:
Before you start the washing machine you need to set up the timer, so that it will switch off after the washing program cyle completed, i.e. the washing cycle lasts 2 h 30 min - you need to set the timer to 2 h 45 min (adding some tolerance)The disadvantage would be that the timer had to be set up everytime before you use the washing machine - or you have to wash always at the same time (which probably will be impractical). Alternatively you just could unplug the power cord after using the washing machine, saving the effort to buy a timer.
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
We use these stick on toddler locks
I have ADHD and a tendency to forget all sorts of obvious things but using the toddler locks has just become a part of my muscle memory. Closing the oven or certain drawers just takes an extra movement now and it wasn't too bad to adjust. The price is low enough and it's efficacy is high enough I would recommend you at least try them before experimenting with more expensive or time consuming set-up heavy options
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So what your telling me is that, if you have a candle lit, you would rather just put up a bunch of barriers around it so no one can touch it instead of blowing it out?
I'm not sure. Is the candle like a mood lighting thing or a blackout thing? How dark is it without the candle? Are we doing something important or just hanging out? Is the candle scented?
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Have you considered a mechanical timer? After a quick search I found this model in particular. The description says that it can handle up to 96 on/off-cycles with 15 minute incements.
In your case it would be used the following way:
Before you start the washing machine you need to set up the timer, so that it will switch off after the washing program cyle completed, i.e. the washing cycle lasts 2 h 30 min - you need to set the timer to 2 h 45 min (adding some tolerance)The disadvantage would be that the timer had to be set up everytime before you use the washing machine - or you have to wash always at the same time (which probably will be impractical). Alternatively you just could unplug the power cord after using the washing machine, saving the effort to buy a timer.
Sorry I just... don't think this is going to work.
This type of timer would be so fiddly to configure every time. It would also turn the power back on at the same time the next day.
Also I'm not usually standing around ready to turn the power off when the cycle finishes.
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Sorry I just... don't think this is going to work.
This type of timer would be so fiddly to configure every time. It would also turn the power back on at the same time the next day.
Also I'm not usually standing around ready to turn the power off when the cycle finishes.
wrote on last edited by [email protected]What about a WiFi connected smart outlet? It can be voice controlled or controlled from a phone or turned on at the outlet. You can set just a "run timer" (from the time I turn it on, run 2.5 hours) without it repeating.
AND if you need to make sure it's off at any point, just check your phone.
TP Link Kasa outlets can run for 23 hours and 59 minutes at a time.
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
Our washing machine has a smart plug on the back, and a child lock set on the front.
Kids do mess around with the door and the drum, but they can’t start it without a phone.
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
In the animal kingdom, the stronger siblings will often murder the weaker ones to assert their superior evolutionary fitness. It's best not to interfere and allow nature to take its best course.
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I'm not sure. Is the candle like a mood lighting thing or a blackout thing? How dark is it without the candle? Are we doing something important or just hanging out? Is the candle scented?
Depends are the kids asleep? Or does the house just smell bad because I forgot to take out the garbage the night before? Hanging out can always lead to something important. you like the smell of vanilla or fresh strawberry field. Or are you into those wild nonsensical smells "calming ocean barnacle and diesel oil "
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
Temporary solution: use a ratchet strap around the machine when not in use. They're difficult for a child to release and easy to acquire. Its crude but it will work until you can find a more elegant solution
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Temporary solution: use a ratchet strap around the machine when not in use. They're difficult for a child to release and easy to acquire. Its crude but it will work until you can find a more elegant solution
Thanks for your input!
Sadly, this is another solution that would keep the machine closed when not in use so it would get mouldy and gross inside.
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I can't decide the best way to secure our front loading washing machine.
We have twins. They're fascinated by the washing machine. Lights, beeps, action... everything. One twin getting inside and their erstwhile companion starting the cycle is absolutely possible.
Obviously we keep the laundry door closed but in a way you just build up the appeal. One of them has figured out how to open doors by standing on his trike.
I could put some kind of stick-on toddler lock on the door but I worry it would be tough to establish the habit of closing the door and putting that lock on. Besides which surely it's nice to leave the door open to dry out between loads anyway?
The washing machine does have a toddler lock but that's only to prevent someone changing the settings during a cycle, it doesn't prevent starting a cycle.
My best idea thus far is a timer on the power outlet. So you turn on the power and set the timer to turn it off after however long the load takes.
The problem with this is that I haven't been able to find a count-down style timer that allows you to set periods longer than 2 hours. Most power outlet timer thingies do schedules, not count-down.
I know this maybe sounds like an easily solvable problem - just turn the power off when it's done - but that's just not how things roll in our house.
My washing machine is broken, so it takes a screwdriver to open the door
so, maybe break off the handle? 
But seriously, unplugging (or if you're in the uk, use a switched outlet) may be the best choice. If the socket is in an awkward spot, you could use an extension cord so that the plug is exposed in a place inaccessible to them.
Still, even without electricity, the idea of one being trapped inside is scary as heck!
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About 2 minutes after I posted i decided this is probably the best solution.
I'm big into self hosting but have been resisting the urge to open the home automation box because I'll never close it again.
That said, it's an obvious solution to this dilemma.
Is your dryer 220V? Keep that in mind.
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Washing Machine Toddler Defense
I was expecting some complex legal strategy...
I thought I was in the AnarchyChess community.
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Thanks for your input!
Sadly, this is another solution that would keep the machine closed when not in use so it would get mouldy and gross inside.
Open the door fully and tighten the strap across the opening.
