Misleading: Video shows explosion caused by a lighter refill in Spain, not a down jacket in China
On Feb. 11, a Douyin user posted a 15-second video showing a washing machine exploding and catching fire just moments after a man exited a laundromat, shattering the windows. The clip had an eye-catching text block that read, “Do not wash down jackets in a washing machine!”
The post claimed that the incident occurred that day in Shandong, a northern province in China, quoting the laundromat owner as saying, “[I] never thought people would wash their down jackets in a self-service laundry.”
The video spread to platforms like X and Facebook, with many blaming a down jacket for the explosion. These posts gained significant traction, gaining over 35,000 shares and 10,000 likes.
However, a down jacket did not cause the explosion shown in the video, and the incident took place in Spain, not in China.
Investigations by Spanish media and local authorities confirmed that a lighter refill left in the laundry was responsible for the blast.
Old viral video in multiple languages
A reverse image search revealed that this video has been circulating in various languages for two years. Some versions included uncropped footage, which provided a clearer view of the laundromat’s surroundings, leading us to news coverage about the incident.
A report (archived here) published by the Spanish newspaper ABC Galicia on April 3, 2023, featured the same video.
ABC Galicia reported that the explosion happened on March 14, 2023, in Mesoiro, a village in the northwestern Spanish province of A Coruña.
Both ABC Galicia and CNN Spanish (archived here) quoted the local fire department confirming that the explosion was caused by “a cigarette lighter gas refill” left in one of the dryers.
Annie Lab verified the laundromat’s location using Google Maps. We can confirm that it is in A Coruña, Spain, not Shandong, China.
Can down jackets be machine-washed?
Whether washing down jackets in a machine can cause explosions has been a widely discussed topic in China for years. Many Chinese media outlets have conducted tests and interviewed experts to provide guidance on safely cleaning down jackets.
For instance, in 2013, Beijing TV reported two incidents (archived here) in Shenyang and Xi’an where washing machines were damaged during the spin-drying of down jackets.
Subsequently, the TV station conducted its own experiment, which resulted in the lid of an old twin-tub washing machine being blown open and the inner drum visibly damaged.
Yin Xiaojun, an industry expert and director of a laundry company in Beijing, explained to Beijing TV reporter that when a wet down jacket is spun at high speed in a small drum, it can put force on the drum and collide with the outer casing, causing structural damage.
Another report (archived here) by Chinese state-owned CCTV noted that during high-speed spinning, air can become trapped inside down feathers as water is removed. This increases internal pressure, which could cause the jacket to burst open, resulting in an explosion-like incident.
However, these reports also noted that such incidents mostly occur with older washing machines that lack modern safety sensors and do not automatically stop when abnormal conditions are detected.
A report (archived here) from Shangguan News’s Rumor Buster featured an interview with Chen Aihua, an experienced laundry industry expert in Shanghai.
Chen recommended using a special “down jacket” washer cycle if such a function is available, or ensuring that the jacket fills up no more than half the drum and selecting a reduced spin speed to safely release trapped air.
Similarly, care guides from garment brands and washing machine manufacturers advise that, as long as the clothing label permits machine washing, it is generally safe to launder down jackets in a washing machine and tumble dryer.
MyGoPen, a fact-checking organization in Taiwan, debunked a similar claim about explosions caused by static from spin-drying a down jacket.
Experts from the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology said it is unlikely for static electricity to accumulate inside down jackets during spinning due to the high humidity inside the drum.
Checklist for machine washing down jackets
- Check the care label of the clothes. If it says “machine washable,” select the “Down Material” or “delicate” cycle (if available), or set the spin speed to low.
- Leave enough space in the drum. Wash or dry one down jacket at a time.
- For smaller loads, put in several towels to help balance the load.
