This weekend I was standing in my kitchen (next to our laundry closet), and the washer started to make funny sounds….bad sounds…..and then it stopped. Silence. I lifted the top, like I'm waiting for something to jump out, to find that it was right in the middle of the cycle where the washer was full of [not clean] water. In the end (after scooping out all of the water, taking the washer apart…etc, etc…) we found a nail that was jammed in the washer….a nail that had been in my husband's pants pocket. Oops.
I found this little tip today, right after this nail-in-the-washer incident, from a blog that I follow:
Keep a jar for loose change found in clothing and in the washer/dryer! Use this money for a family treat! (Or I found this story where a guy bought a car!)
To me, this translated to: "Keep a jar or cute container next to the washer/dryer so you can see what all you forget about in those pockets!" Ours would be filled with bobby pins (me), collar stays (Eric), to-do lists (me) and evidently random small pieces of hardware (i.e. nails > Eric).
What do you always forget to take out of your pockets? (If anything…)
I forget things like chap stick, and cell phones. I usually catch the cell phones, but one time I didn’t….so now I refrain from putting the iphone into the pockets!
Thanks for sharing! I forget chapstick too! Oh, I hate when that happens…
Yes – be careful about that iPhone or cell phones in general – LOL!
So far my container next to my washer/dryer has a few bobby pins and a button. No money so far, but at least my container keeps all the little things in one place!
My son tears up paper into little bits and leaves them in his pockets. I sometimes forget to take out rolled up tissues. Usually it’s money and so far, no cell phones thank goodness.
I’m glad you haven’t had any cell phone incidents so far Karen! …even though little pieces of paper and tissue are not fun to clean up… I’m sure having little ones adds a whole other complexity with laundry in general
I work for a moving company and always end up with any number of crazy things in my pocket on a daily basis. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to pull the washer or dryer apart to repair the effects of my cluttered pockets. My version of this would have to include a garbage can, though. Too much junk.
I can only imagine! Pulling the washer/dryer apart is no easy task, so it pains me to hear that you’ve done it so many times – no fun! Thanks for your comment from a different perspective – from someone who ALWAYS has a ton of stuff in their pockets on a daily basis
That is a great tip…I’m going to add one today! Seeing it will remind me (and the hubby) to actually check the pockets. Recently I could hear a loud clanking all the way upstairs. It was my husband’s “specially engraved” ipod that he left in his pocket. He said “yeah…I was wondering what that noice was”…
Oh no! Not the engraved iPod! My chapstick was in the washer yesterday, so that was my most recent find. Hopefully you and your hubby will not hear noises clanking around as often from now on!