Today’s washing machines have incredibly large capacities, especially the high efficiency models that do not have a traditional agitator. These machines are designed to be much gentler on your clothes but they do require a much longer wash cycle to accomplish the cleaning process. Every now and then we come across a machine that is subjected to use that is, um, let’s say outside the scope of the Manufacturers Use and Care Manual. Here is a picture of one such machine showing an assortment of clothes and personal care products found between the inner and outer drums under the wash plate. The ONLY way this sort of thing occurs is if you are grossly overloading your machine. We find this sort of abuse in many houses of returning college students :>).