I have always known that gasoline wasn't supposed to go in the washing machine, but I read my machine lid in boredom today and noticed it said no material that has had cooking oil on it or you may have an explosion and death...blah blah blah. Is that for real??? We don't use paper products so our towels, of course, get oil on them. Does anyone else worry about this?

Yeah, I worry about that too! I don't do much about it, though, because I figure that kind of stuff gets on napkins at restaurants,etc. and they have to come clean somehow! I have been putting a squirt of dawn ultra in the wash along with my regular biokleen deterg, and that seems to help. I also use only oils to wash my face, and then wipe it off with a washcloth--which of course, has to go in the washer.

Good question, I'll be checking in to see if there's any reason I should quit doing that! I definately don't want to cause an explosion. Hmmmmmm.........

IMO, that warning is more of a legal liability issue. My concern would be more about residual oil in the dryer. Maybe my ignorance is bliss??

I think they're talking about massive amounts. The reason is that sometimes the machine sparks a bit and it could set the oil on fire...if there was that much. But the small amount on our cloth napkins, etc. isn't going to do it.

I recall news reports of spontaneous combustion of cloths w/Cooking oil on them. It could happen when they were just sitting in the laundry basket. This was years ago.

So what you see in the washer/dryer instructions is for real. If you have to clean up and dispose of oil, paper towels are safer.