I've often done this...
I've often gone away leaving my washing machine running, and never thought twice abaout it. I trust my machine implicitly...
These days though I'm more apt to throw some clothes in to wash right before bed, start the machine and then hit the hay.
The dryer is another story. If I am leaving or going to sleep, the dryer goes off and finishes when I am awake and able to be around.
Only ever had one "incident" with leaving and the washer. I remember once when my parents were gone on vacation I put a load of towels in Mom's Maytag A-608 and left to go to the movies. My parents live in a 1959 cookie cutter ranch with no basement, their washer/dryer are right next to the kitchen. When I got home from the movies I couldn't open the back door, as the washer was blocking it. I was freaking out as I went around to the front of the house, as I was trying to figure out who would break in my house and move the washing machine! well it was nobody... the poor washer had gone off balance, and NOT shut off... and it walked out of its stall as far as its hoses would allow. The cycle was finished. Thank goodness the hoses held, or it could have been bad!
