Have you ever washed anything you really wished you hadn't?

and they want to remain anonymous (who can blame them!)

Why does that not surprise me...?

The winner of the £33 million lottery has been found, according to Camelot.

It is not the lady who accidentally 'washed' her ticket in her jeans pocket.

About 5 years ago I bought a beautiful heavy duty hand knitted 100% wool sweater when on holiday on iceland. It was not cheap. I washed it on a wool wash and it shrank. I should have had it dry cleaned.

I then lost two stone in weight and it fits again (just)

My darling ex husband got over enthusiastic, as usual, and did the washing (he was obsessed). Unfortunately I had told him not to wash the sweatshirt of my DD which she had from primary school with all the signatures on from leaving day. Did he take any notice? No, one very upset daughter and one very angry mum and one now plain sweatshirt!

I've always been careful, but DS says his wife had a lot to learn when they first set up house together and didn't know to check pockets before putting things into the machine, but the only damage that caused (that he would admit) was bits of disintegrated tissues all over the rest of the machine's load.

Only just over the New Year however, I stupidly washed a duvet cover without doing the buttons up. The whole load worked its way into the cover during the washing cycle, forming one big lump which made the machine lurch from side to side during the spin cycle. It sits on a kind of platform, about a foot high, and there was an almighty "bang" - the washing machine had toppled right off of the dais and landed flat on its face, squashing the washing basket in front of it and scaring DH quite seriously. The pipes and cables at the back were straining, but were just long enough not to have broken off and caused a flood.

DS and DH righted the machine and it has worked fine ever since!

Back in the 70s a friend gave me a beautiful pink dress and said "never wash it." I washed it - say no more.

DH's mobile. The hooha getting him an identical one and putting his old sim card in it.

A passport!!
Reminds me of when DD couldn't find her passport the night before she went on holiday (oh never mind, it's a long story )

No-one on here, then, who washed the winning lottery ticket for half that jackpot ?

In the days when we were really quite short of money I put my very nice M&S sweater dress in the washing machine. I'm sure I had machine washed it before but apparently not on the programme I had chosen this time It came out like a long twisted rope! I washed it again and tried to get it back into some sort of shape but it was hopeless. I was so upset! I'd been so pleased when I bought it in a sale and now it was only fit for the dustbin.

Tissues in pockets! Often. With resulting bits of tissue clinging to every piece of laundry. Euch!

I suppose it was technically me because I put the jeans in the washing machine but; DP returned from a trip abroad and was due to go abroad again in a week's time. Unfortunately he left his passport in the pocket of said pair of jeans. Passports don't wash at all well. Getting a replacement in time was a bit of a nightmare and expensive (Thank heaven we live near a passport office, it could have been even worse...)

I washed DH's cricket sweater in the washing machine and when it came out it was the perfect size for DD's teddy. I have never been allowed to forget it. I have to say it looked really cute and DD was thrilled and said her teddy was very pleased with it.

However, Visa card came out twisted. The person on the other end when I rang up to report this didn't seem at all surprised. So I clearly wasn't the only idiot.

I've done that too. A £10 note came out nice and clean - as good as new when I ironed it.

Alea

Oh Jalima is that what they call money laundering? <groan>

Years ago, daughter number 3 knitted me a lovely mohair jumper, it took her ages, and I loved it. Then I washed it, and being stupid, I thought that a woollen wash would be OK, but it came out looking as if it would fit a 2 year old! I hated having to confess to my daughter what I`d done, wonder why she didn`t offer to knit me another? Then a couple of years ago, hubby was given a cream Aran jumper by a friend who didn`t like it. Hubby loved it, once again I displayed my stupidity and washed it on a woollen cycle. Anyone know a 2 year old who`d like an Aran jumper?

Other half's glasses, several items of tooling (his not mine) and far too often business cards, post it notes and tissues. All in his pockets - I really should learn to check them. My cousin's son once put the budgie in the washing machine (twin tub) - I'm not sure if it survived!

I have often washed DH'S wallet and season ticket. He is a dab hand at sourcing replacements. His fault for leaving them in the pockets of trousers that he puts in the washing basket.
I have had success too with washing dry clean only evening dresses on a delicate wash. Yesterday I did the same with a fabric handbag and it has come up as good as new!

Recently washed a Phase Eight jumper on a 30 wash that should have been hand washed. Might now just about fit 2 year old DGD! I don't usually spend that much on a casual top and needless to say probably never will again.
Oh and yes the washing of stray tissues makes me want to scream.

Or rather,

A couple of pedometers, plenty of tissues (angry) and a beautiful soft suede skirt (sob).

Why is it that I ignored all the obviously wise advice online that suede cannot be washed, and believed the one clown/nutter that said she always washed suede because, after all, cows don't shrink in the rain.

Washing jumpers - my experience was the opposite. It didn't shrink, it stretched.
I had knitted the jumper with a very thick loosely twined wool, or something synthetic, and it was too big. So I put it in a hot wash and instead of shrinking the strands of wool untwined and it came out much bigger, even a few holes
I was never a good knitter, and this put me off completely.

I had a lovely pale pink angora jumper when I was around 18. My mum put it in the washing machine and it shrank. I can remember being very annoyed, but now I think what a spoilt brat I was because my mum did all my washing and ironing, and without a word of thanks.