Uh.. ya, don't do that....

[gramma dishes]

I learned very early in my marriage that coins come out of the laundry all shiny and pretty and even paper currency (if it's double folded) can come out quite crispy if you also accidentally run it through the dryer.   

[cwm]

The rule growing up was that if you did the laundry, you got to keep the money from pockets. I always volunteered to do laundry after dad went shopping, he was terrible about leaving all his money in his pockets and forgetting about it. When I got a $20 payout, mom put a limit to the amount that the kids could keep from pockets. I think it was $5 or something. I stopped volunteering for laundry duty about that time. I mean, I'd do it if I was told, but I didn't go out of my way to jump on it.

Still, I'm pretty good at turning my pockets inside out for laundry because of that. It's a lot harder to have something left in the pockets when they're sitting inside out.

[emwithme]

The rule growing up was that if you did the laundry, you got to keep the money from pockets. I always volunteered to do laundry after dad went shopping, he was terrible about leaving all his money in his pockets and forgetting about it. When I got a $20 payout, mom put a limit to the amount that the kids could keep from pockets. I think it was $5 or something. I stopped volunteering for laundry duty about that time. I mean, I'd do it if I was told, but I didn't go out of my way to jump on it.

Still, I'm pretty good at turning my pockets inside out for laundry because of that. It's a lot harder to have something left in the pockets when they're sitting inside out.

We had this same rule (without the limit).  My brothers are 8, 11 and 16 years older than me.  The youngest two basically funded my pre-teen years. 

[Outdoor Girl]

My nephew has washed his iPod Nano.  More than once.   

My Dad was a teacher.  Occasionally, a kid would ask him to hang onto some money for them.  Dad would agree but told them that they had to remind him to give it back at the end of the day, because he would forget.  Many a kid got their money back much cleaner than when they handed it over to Dad.

[Midnight Kitty]

If you hear something that sounds kind of...solid...clunking around in your washing machine right after you start the cycle, don't just shrug your shoulders and figure it's no big deal and it will resolve itself.

Likewise, if you hear something clunking around in your dryer, stop the dryer.  This was several years ago when the real Midnight was still alive.  I heard the thump thump and thought, "I don't remember putting canvas shoes in the wash ..." So I stopped the dryer, opened the door, and Midnight hopped out.  She was a bit discombobulated, but just fine.  She loved to jump in the dryer at any time, but especially when the load was warm.  We spoiled her and let her lay down on the clean, dry laundry and *bless* it with a fine layer of cat hair and dander.

My mother was (in)famous for leaving her lipstick in her pocket, then finding it when she took the clothes out of the dryer.  We had lots of clothes with lipstick stains.  I learned to check every single pocket (& I get to keep any money I find ) before anything goes in the washer.  My mother never did learn; She just stopped wearing lipstick.

[Luci45]

On the other hand, I like what happens to Chapstick in the washer and dryer. It is evenly distributed and everything comes out just a bit softer. I later learned that parafin is an ingredient in fabric softeners.

(I don't use softener because Lucas is allergic to scents, but I do use vinegar.)

[cwm]

If you hear something that sounds kind of...solid...clunking around in your washing machine right after you start the cycle, don't just shrug your shoulders and figure it's no big deal and it will resolve itself.

Likewise, if you hear something clunking around in your dryer, stop the dryer.  This was several years ago when the real Midnight was still alive.  I heard the thump thump and thought, "I don't remember putting canvas shoes in the wash ..." So I stopped the dryer, opened the door, and Midnight hopped out.  She was a bit discombobulated, but just fine.  She loved to jump in the dryer at any time, but especially when the load was warm.  We spoiled her and let her lay down on the clean, dry laundry and *bless* it with a fine layer of cat hair and dander.

My mother was (in)famous for leaving her lipstick in her pocket, then finding it when she took the clothes out of the dryer.  We had lots of clothes with lipstick stains.  I learned to check every single pocket (& I get to keep any money I find ) before anything goes in the washer.  My mother never did learn; She just stopped wearing lipstick.

Midnight was lucky. I've heard tell of others who were not. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject.

[Sophia]

I don't know if this still true, because I've changed industries.  But, X amount of time bouncing around in the clothes dryer was part of the durability testing for cell phones. 

[Elfmama]

This was not a disaster this morning because:
a) I habitually wash all of my clothes in only cold water (so no melty tubes of lipstick to smear all over my clothes, including the white shirt that's in this load),

You're lucky.  My toddler once hid a purple crayon in the toe of a sock; it was fine in the washing machine, but when it went into the laundromat dryer (I think they get significantly hotter than home dryers) it melted and got purple wax all over a load of DH's uniform shirts and DD1's school blouses.  It completely ruined almost everything in the load.

[Dindrane]

Lucky for me, in addition to never using hot water to wash my clothes, I was also doing a load of hang-dry-only laundry, so there wasn't going to be a dryer involved at any point.

[greencat]

One of my exes left his lighter in his pants pocket.  That made an interesting "boom" when it exploded in the dryer.  Fortunately there wasn't a lot of fluid left in it.

I accidentally washed a tube of superglue once.  I held a funeral for that load of clothes 

[White Dragon]

A few weeks ago I took a load of laundry out of the dryer...

... and a live round of ammunition fell out, 

I laid into Mr. Dragon like a banshee, since he is in charge of safety when he and DragonSon go to the range and it is something we are both absolutely rabid about.

I ended up having to apologize because it turns out that it wasn't a caliber we even own or have fired in more than 15 years.
Our best guess was that it was in the pocket of some old military gear that DragonSon had worn for Hallowe'en.

I couldn't hold him responsible for it being there in gear that he'd never even worn after it was issued (before he retired).
But it sure freaked me out!

[jayhawk]

A few weeks ago I took a load of laundry out of the dryer...

... and a live round of ammunition fell out, 

I laid into Mr. Dragon like a banshee, since he is in charge of safety when he and DragonSon go to the range and it is something we are both absolutely rabid about.

I ended up having to apologize because it turns out that it wasn't a caliber we even own or have fired in more than 15 years.
Our best guess was that it was in the pocket of some old military gear that DragonSon had worn for Hallowe'en.

I couldn't hold him responsible for it being there in gear that he'd never even worn after it was issued (before he retired).
But it sure freaked me out!

Yes, I've found shotgun shells that have gone through the washer and dryer from my son.  NOT HAPPY MOM.

[Diane AKA Traska]

A few weeks ago I took a load of laundry out of the dryer...

... and a live round of ammunition fell out, 

I laid into Mr. Dragon like a banshee, since he is in charge of safety when he and DragonSon go to the range and it is something we are both absolutely rabid about.

I ended up having to apologize because it turns out that it wasn't a caliber we even own or have fired in more than 15 years.
Our best guess was that it was in the pocket of some old military gear that DragonSon had worn for Hallowe'en.

I couldn't hold him responsible for it being there in gear that he'd never even worn after it was issued (before he retired).
But it sure freaked me out!

Yes, I've found shotgun shells that have gone through the washer and dryer from my son.  NOT HAPPY MOM.

"Honey?  We need a new dryer, this one's shot."
"It broke down?"
"No no, you misunderstand..."

[White Dragon]

A few weeks ago I took a load of laundry out of the dryer...

... and a live round of ammunition fell out, 

I laid into Mr. Dragon like a banshee, since he is in charge of safety when he and DragonSon go to the range and it is something we are both absolutely rabid about.

I ended up having to apologize because it turns out that it wasn't a caliber we even own or have fired in more than 15 years.
Our best guess was that it was in the pocket of some old military gear that DragonSon had worn for Hallowe'en.

I couldn't hold him responsible for it being there in gear that he'd never even worn after it was issued (before he retired).
But it sure freaked me out!

Yes, I've found shotgun shells that have gone through the washer and dryer from my son.  NOT HAPPY MOM.

"Honey?  We need a new dryer, this one's shot."
"It broke down?"
"No no, you misunderstand..."

Bwahahahah!!!