White goods

What are the risks?

White goods are large appliances like fridges, freezers, washing machines and tumble dryers. 

These unfortunately cause many fires in homes, and some of these can cause a large amount of damage and sometimes lifechanging injures or fatalities. 

Safety advice

• Always inspect your appliances regularly to check for signs of damage. If you are concerned about the safety of a product stop using it and make your concern known to the retailer, manufacturer or your local Trading Standards office. 
• Make sure that you have working smoke alarms on every level of your home and test them regularly
• When using a tumble dryer, be sure to regularly clear the filter of lint and dust
• Avoid plugging these appliances into extension cables, and follow the one plug per socket rule
• When using second-hand appliances, take extra care to have them safety checked
• Whether it’s second-hand or new, check if your appliance in on the list of recalled products.
• When you buy a new appliance, take five minutes to register it that manufacturers can contact you in the event of any problems. Use the Register My Appliance site.

Also in this section