I threw in a load of towels last Tuesday at my building's shared laundry room and didn't think twice about the leftover dryer sheet from the previous cycle. About 15 minutes into the dry cycle I smelled this weird burning plastic smell and saw smoke puffing out the vent. I yanked open the door and that old dryer sheet had melted onto the heating element and was smoldering like crazy. I grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall and just stood there ready to blast it but the smoke stopped after I opened the door wide. The super had to come down and replace the whole heating element because that melted plastic crusted on there so bad. Has anyone else dealt with a dryer sheet catching fire like that or am I just the unluckiest person in Brooklyn?
I threw a pair of jeans in the wash last Tuesday without checking pockets. Heard this loud clanking sound ten minutes in. Opened the lid and found a quarter rattling around the drum. It made this weird dent in the inner wall of the washer. Now I check every single pocket before washing. Learned that one loose coin can mess up your machine way worse than a missing sock. Anyone else have a pocket surprise that cost them more than just a few quarters?
I always just emptied the lint trap every few loads, figured it was fine. Then my buddy who runs a laundromat in Phoenix told me he sees dryers lose 15 minutes of drying time just from a half-clogged screen. Has anyone else tested the difference cleaning it every single time makes?
Hadn't worn that jacket since last winter. Checked the pockets before tossing it in. Felt something crinkly. Pulled out a crumpled twenty from a fast food run I forgot about. Now I check every single pocket before wash day. Anyone else find random cash like that?
Last month I had five loads in a row with no stains, no shrinking, and everything dried without wrinkles. Even found a $20 bill in a jacket pocket on the third load. Has anyone else had a streak like that or am I just lucky?
I was at a laundromat in Phoenix last week because my home machine was down and an older lady pointed at my full load and said 'you know that's why your clothes come out stiff right?' She explained that the clothes need room to tumble or the detergent just sits on them. I always thought more clothes meant more efficient use of water but turns out I was just making everything worse. Has anyone else had a random stranger change their whole wash routine?
I was loading my washer last Saturday and my neighbor Paul walks over and says "you know that stuff ruins your towels, right?" I laughed it off at first but he kept going. He said it coats the fibers so they can't absorb water anymore. I thought about it and my bath towels have been feeling less fluffy lately. So I stopped using softener for 2 weeks now. My clothes feel different but not in a bad way. Anyone else ever quit using it and notice a difference?
Was doing laundry at my apartment complex last night and heard this weird thumping in the dryer, opened it up and found a soggy turkey and cheese sub I forgot from three days ago lol. Had to rewash everything twice to get the mayo smell out, anyone else find food in their laundry?
Last Monday I put a red crayon through the wash with a load of white shirts. Turned everything pink. Then Tuesday the dryer stopped mid-cycle and I had to air dry everything on the rack. By Friday I was so fed up I decided to sort every single piece of clothing by color and fabric type. Ended up finding $12 in loose change and a gift card I thought was gone forever. Has anyone else had a week that started awful but ended up with a surprise find?
The money was ruined but honestly the sock won that round because I tried using a color catcher sheet the next load and it totally failed to grab a red shirt bleed. Has anyone found a brand of these things that actually works or are they all a scam?
Weirdest thing. Found it wedged between the fins. No idea how it got there. Read online that about 3,000 dryer fires happen each year in the US from stuff like this. That stat really stuck with me. Makes me check every pocket now before tossing clothes in. Anyone else find random metal junk in their machine?
Last week I grabbed this old denim jacket from the back of my closet to do a load of laundry. Stuck my hand in the pocket before tossing it in and pulled out a crumpled $20 bill I must have forgot about three years ago. It was from a trip to Portland where I bought a coffee and threw the change in there. Has anyone else found random cash in their laundry and felt like you won a mini lottery?