I could imagine a situation like, "I will be out all day and only return in the late evening - if I start the wash cycle when leaving, it will sit wet in the ma

I could imagine a situation like, "I will be out all day and only return in the late evening - if I start the wash cycle when leaving, it will sit wet in the machine all day. But if I start it when I return, I will have to stay awake to put it in the dryer. I'd like to start it on a timer so the wash cycle finishes just as I return." But that's both pretty contrived and most non-smart washing machines can do that with a timer anyway.