As any mother out there will know, washing can be the bane of your entire existence on some days, but we think we'll be looking at the practice a whole lot differently thanks to the following story.
Authorities have credited a washing machine with saving an elderly woman's life, after a suspected gas leak led to an explosion in her Wolverhampton home.
Wendy Ayoub, 73, was at home when the roof of her bungalow began collapsing in on top of her. The force of the explosion was so strong that it completely demolished her house and injured passersby - but she escaped with her life by wedging herself between her washing machine and a wall.
When emergency services arrived at the scene, all that was left of Wendy's home was debris and a gaping hole. After two hours, they were finally able to rescue the elderly woman, who had taken cover in the crevice.
Despite the force of the explosion being so strong that neighbours thought a bomb had gone off, Wendy escaped with just a broken ankle and some cuts and bruises.
Speaking to the media after the shocking incident, a spokesman for the local ambulance brigade said that Wendy was "extraordinarily lucky" to have escaped the accident with her life.
We'll never look at the washing machine in the same way!
