# Am I the only one who thinks that listening to household appliances is comforting?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-listening-to-household-appliances-is-comforting/659913>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 2, 2013, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-listening-to-household-appliances-is-comforting/659913 "2013-06-02T02:03:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-listening-to-household-appliances-is-comforting/659913/21 "2013-06-05T13:26:41Z")

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Kate Bush [wrote a song about this very subject.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp19cFqeYOU)

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-listening-to-household-appliances-is-comforting/659913/22 "2013-06-05T14:04:31Z")

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> [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](#):
>
> I love straightening up the kitchen and then setting the dishwasher. That hum says, “Things are clean and all is right with the world.”

Yes! I don’t ordinarily care for the sound of appliances, but I specifically enjoy the sound of the dishwasher after I’ve finished cleaning the kitchen for exactly this reason.

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**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\
**Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-thinks-that-listening-to-household-appliances-is-comforting/659913/23 "2013-06-05T15:43:48Z")

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> [@nion](#):
>
> It’s comforting hearing the fridge humming away at night after everyone is in bed. I think it’s the white noise thing.
> 
> The furnace running is definitely comforting. That’s a throwback to my childhood. I have fond memories of being snug in my bed, the warm air blowing gently over me from the register.

When I was a kid, we had radiators that banged like tortured souls trying to escape from hell. The one in the bathroom next to my bedroom was the worst. It literally sounded like someone was in there and was wailing away at it with a wrench. :eek:

The soft hissing and gentle banging, though, was soothing.

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