I would. Having had a dishwasher leak go undetected for a long time and seeing how expensive that was to redo 25% of the house, I am going to shut water off to the entire house and run a faucet to relieve the pressure somewhat. I put alarms on the floors to detect leaks now and washer hoses with flood shutoffs on them.

I would for sure shut those valves off, actually its recommended water valves be shut off when were done for the day with the wash but how many do you think do lol

I shut off water valves to both washer and dryer (dryer has a steam feature) after the units are done (no matter what the washer).

My Parents did it and I do it. It's just a good habit to get into and it's cheaper than fixing a flood and all the water damage.

I have this type of valve where one valve controls both hot and cold and is very convenient.

Jane if you don't mind the bending to get into your 10 year old Kenmore Elite dryer then you won't mind bending for a front load washer.

You should be able to get to your water valves quickly, god forbid a hose bursts.

When I moved into my condo a year I had the valves to my washer changed from manual to electronic. (The valves are unreachable without pulling out the stackable dryer.) To be proactive I also had the rubber hose changed to good quality stainless steel covered hoses. And for good measure I placed a flood alarm behind on the floor. I put the electronic control near the front in easy reach and turn it off every time I finish my wash. All you need to do is push a button. I think it is cheap insurance.

I have these hoses on my washer in the basement.

Floodchek hose

i also have the shut off valve like Georgct on my new set on my main floor. When I go on vacation I turn the water off to the clothes washer and the dishwasher.

Our usual was to turn the water off to the house if we were to be gone for more than a week. But this past weekend we were leaving for a 2 day trip to visit my sister. Fortunately and unfortunately 45 minutes before we left the house we discovered our hot water heater was leaking. Now that could have been a real mess to come home to. We might be over reacting but we will now turn the water to the house off even for an overnighter. We somehow angered the Water Gods when we moved into this house and I think they are still angry!

It really is a great idea to turn the water off at the MAIN (whole house delivery inlet valve), when leaving it unattended for an extended amount of time.

I would also turn off the water heater/boiler/furnace (ONLY IF THEIR IS NOT THREAT OF FREEZING), otherwise turn it down low.

NOTE: I found this info that you should follow...

HYDROGEN GAS: Hydrogen gas can be produced in a hot water
system that has not been used for a long period of time (generally two weeks or more). Hydrogen gas is extremely flammable and explosive. To prevent the possibility of injury under these conditions, we recommend the hot water faucet be opened for several minutes at the kitchen sink before any electrical appliances which are connected to the hot water system are used (such as a dishwasher or washing machine). If hydrogen gas is present, there will probably be an unusual sound similar to air escaping through the pipe as the hot water faucet is opened. There must be no smoking or open flame near the faucet at the time it is open.

georgect, thanks for the heads up as we often leave the house for a month at a time. We thought the initial escaping "gas" was just air. Fortunately our routine is to open the kitchen faucets first, then the rest of the faucets in the house. The washing machine usually doesn't get used until the day after we get home from an extended vacation and the dishwasher not until we fill it with dishes again.

We also turn the water heater down low, not off. And set the furnace/AC thermostats low/high based on time of year.

So far we've been lucky and have not had really bad water problems or huge utility bills!

We turn off the main water valve and water heater even if just gone for the night. Our water heater is on the 2nd floor and caused over 10k damage when it died a few years ago. The cleanup was horrendous. No ceiling in the family room for weeks to be sure it was dried out, drywall, flooring replaced. I'm still paranoid about mold or mildew. I feel better turning off the water. Why worry when you are on vacation?

I always turn the water off to the washer and dryer after I'm finished with the wash for the day. After several years the rubber hoses begin to deteriorate and can't withstand the water pressure and will burst.

Also when going on vacation the water main to the whole hose is shut off. I've heard too many horror stories of people returning home from a vacation to a flooded home.

They should be turned off after every wash.

Yikes, this is making me seriously paranoid - we live in a condo building with 14 units, and the sinks and washer have individual water shutoff valves, but we have no idea where the main shutoff for the whole unit is... So the water heater (which was installed in such a way that in order to change it we have to cut a hole in the wall, sigh) and shower are pretty much without any controls that we know of. Hmm.

I turn off the house main if gone for more than a day. I'm on a private well, so it's easy to do at the tank outlet.

I don't turn off the washer taps. There are many other household connections/usage points that can leak/rupture (toilets, sink faucets, ice maker, dishwasher), why are washer hoses of more concern than the others?

@dadoes...I do it because I hear of more washer hose failures than any other hose failure.

I once had a toilet failure in which the fill tube inside the tank ruptured. Theoretically the overflow tube would have averted a flood ... except the rupture was spraying water full-force up against the tank lid so of course it was leaking over the edge. I had stepped out of the bathroom a moment earlier, headed to work, and heard an odd sound. It would have been a huge disaster if I had been a little quicker getting out of the house. Even so, the incident didn't trigger me to turn off my toilets' water supply after each use.

I personally know two people who had flood disasters because of ruptured toilet fill hoses. One of them happened while they were out for dinner, not even on vacation. Afterward, one of them installed a Leak Defense system at their insurance company's expense. I decided to learn from this, and install one in my house. For each of the two modes, Home and Away, you set a threshold at which flow is detected, and how long water is allowed to flow before the system alarms and shuts off the water. It can detect very small flows, down to something like a drop per second. Obviously it can't prevent damage 100%, since it has to allow some flow, particularly while you're home. But it's better than letting it flow for an unlimited time. If I remember to put it in Away mode when I leave the house, it'll shut off after 3 minutes of flow. And when I'm home, I can tell when water is flowing, and look around for the cause if I think it shouldn't be.

Edit: It also has optional point-of-leak detectors that detect moisture where it shouldn't be, and shut the water right away.

I still shut off the water completely when we're away, usually by turning off the well pump so the outside hydrants are off too.

Thank you very much for all your responses and helpful information.

If the main water valve is shut off when we leave home on vacation, the sprinkler system would also be shut off. Would the grass be fine after 2 weeks of no irrigation? I am living in the SF bay area.

I thought there was a ban on watering lawns due to the water shortage. I am not in CA so not sure about there but where I am the grass goes dormant and then greens up immediately after a rain. Sure it looks a little tough but it comes back.

Hey, gardener, are you from Iowa too :) Yeah grass turns brownish then greens right back up when watered.

I have to plead guilty on the being from Iowa. It sure does green right back up.

Edited to add: Strange how some posts show up far above and at the bottom as well... And out of sequence.

This is not about washer valves, but my brother went on a month long trip to the Philippines and came home to find the hot water heater had leaked. So I would turn off the valves if it were me.

I live in a warm part of the US so I don't have to worry about pipes freezing, I do turn my water heater thermostat to VACATION and turn off the washer valves when I am gone for more than two days. I agree about switching the washer hoses to stainless braiding and replace them every five years, the same with your dishwasher hose.

We always turn off the water supply to our whole house when we go out of town. Anything can happen, not just washing machine hoses. I know someone who suffered thou$and$ of dollar$ worth of damage to their house when a $2 part failed in a toilet, when they were gone.

Thanks for all the responses.

Georgect, pedestals prevent us from bending when loading and unloading clothes. But without pedestals, the machines' top can be used as table for folding clothes and towels.