Parents Share Laundry Day Surprises

The interview started innocently enough with the question, "What are the strangest things you've found in your washing machine, courtesy of your kids?"

It took an unusual turn with the reply, "How about the dog?"

Soon I learned kids aren't the only culprits when it comes to leaving odd objects in laundry destined for the washer. Not only that, some kids and pets, not satisfied with leaving mom laundry surprises in their clothing or blankets, opt for direct interaction with clothes washers or dryers.

These parents talk about surprises they found when washing their family's laundry- or trying to:

* "How about the dog? From the dog, not that I've found the dog in the dryer. Dog bones that got hooked into blankets I was washing."-Marie Anne, Frankfort, Ohio

* "Does the hubby count? I found his wedding ring that was lost for a week. I had a cat curled up on warm towels in the dryer once too --- and he's gone in to pee on towels too. I keep that door firmly closed!"" - Caren, Colonial Beach, Va.

* "Trucks, trains, Magnetix pieces." - Ermina, Shippensburg, Pa.

* "Crayons!" - Lisa, Houston, Tex.

* "You don't want to know-yes, a condom. 'But Mom, I didn't USE it-see, it's still in the package. Also screws, washers, nuts, bolts, nails and other unidentified car-related things." - Marilisa, Grand Haven, Mich.

* "My daughter hid in the dryer when she was 3....Could NOT find her - finally she popped out as I walked by." - Sylvie, Cleveland, Ohio

* " Acorns. At some points, my kids thought it would be helpful to rescue the acorns all around the schoolyard and plant them in our back yard, since we are pretty much treeless back there... except they forgot to take them out of their pockets, and I didn't check. There must have been over a dozen in there..." - Kim, Tampa, Fla.

* "Nature. That would be rocks, leaves, dirt, sticks, etc. My kids just walk outside and start stuffing their pockets and I'm the world's worst about checking pockets before throwing things in the wash. I even found a snail shell once. I really hoped a snail wasn't in there." - Pamela, Fort Payne, Ala.

* " I found the kids' dirty clothes in the washing machine once. It surprised the Hell out of me." - Randy, Madison, Ala.

Some people like Randy have apparently become accustomed to encountering the unusual when doing the family laundry.