Is it possible to wash in a washing machine at night?

Can I wash clothes in the washing machine at night? In our time, when people work from dawn to dusk, and daytime water and electricity rates are exorbitantly high, doing laundry at night seems like the only option. You dump the laundry in the machine, set the delay timer, and in the morning, you pull out your washed clothes—beautiful! But is it legal to do your laundry at night? After all, it makes noise that can disturb your neighbors, and this, as we know, can lead to certain problems.

Are you allowed to do laundry at night?

At first glance, this question seems silly. After all, why introduce night tariffs for electrical appliances if they can't be used at night? The fact is that power grids are extremely overloaded during the morning and daytime hours. To reduce the load and make their operation more uniform, the government introduced night tariffs to encourage people to use electrical appliances at night, at least partially.

Please note: Nighttime rates differ significantly from daytime rates (depending on the region, by 1.5 to 3 times), so there's plenty to compete for.

However, in reality, things aren't so simple. If you dig into this issue online, you'll find many stories of neighbors who washed their laundry at night being cited for "disturbing the peace and quiet." This resulted in fines and, of course, the subsequent inability to use their washing machines at night.

For example, in the Vologda region, a citizen dared to do laundry at night only twice. The first time I received a warning for doing laundry from half past twelve until two in the morning, the second time, for doing laundry from half past eleven until two in the morning, I received a fine of $5. And all because his neighbor allegedly couldn't sleep because of the washing machine, recorded the noise, and even called the police. It was an unpleasant situation. maximum noise at night

This isn't an isolated case, and the urgency of the nighttime laundry problem is hard to overstate. Disturbing the peace and quiet can result in a fine of $5 to $20. Of course, many might think it's easier to pay the $5 fine than to deal with police patrols, get into a row with neighbors, and ultimately incur a fine of the same amount, or even more.

But just how illegal is washing clothes at night? After all, neither the laws on administrative violations nor the notorious Law on Silence in Moscow state a word about prohibiting running a washing machine at night. Indeed, the only thing that is stated in the Law is that the noise should not exceed 45 decibels. Moreover, as it turns out, a child’s cry or a working hair dryer sounds much louder than a washing machine.

A washing machine produces 60 decibels if you stand right next to it. And in the neighboring apartment, the noise level of the machine would be less than 45 decibels. It's possible that the vibration level is so irritating to people, but there's no mention of this anywhere, so there's no reason to hold someone accountable.

Therefore, if you rely on legal provisions in a dispute with your neighbors, you can confidently defend your right to do laundry at night: even if someone really stubborn decides to call Rospotrebnadzor and measure the noise level, the truth will be on your side. To restrict nighttime laundry, a law specifically prohibiting it would be necessary. Until such a law is passed, doing laundry in a washing machine at night is perfectly legal.

How to set up a delayed start for overnight washing?

Not sure if your washing machine has a timer? Check the manual for a list of all the functions, or carefully inspect the control panel. See something that looks like a dial or clock? That's the delay function. Here's how to activate it:

Load the laundry into the drum and close the door;
pour powder or detergent gel into the dispenser;
select the desired mode and, if necessary, adjust it by changing the temperature, spin, etc.;
Find the button with the dial and press it several times, while simultaneously watching the information on the display.

Pressing the button adjusts the delay time. Different washing machines have different timers. Sometimes, the number 5:00 on the display means the program will only start in 5 hours. Sometimes, the same number means the program will end in 5 hours.