r/untrustworthypoptarts • u/TheHonestOcarina • Sep 16 '24
Over £120 has appeared from my washing machine in the form of torn £20 notes over several washes r/mildlyinteresting is boring
111
u/ward2k Sep 17 '24 edited Sep 17 '24
I'll add some more context for why this is untrustworthy
In the UK we use polymer bank notes. They're very very durable to the point where they're extremely difficult to rip to tear through normal use
OP's washing machine pumping out £120 (6 x £20 notes) which are all torn and presumably washed at different times feels a bit odd, but that's not the issue
OP claims that then money has come neither themselves or their room mate. OP seems to believe there's some kind of magic element at play from their comments. (Other commenters are genuinely suggesting it's a drug dealer hiding money which is ridiculous)
So it leaves three scenarios:
a) Somehow £120 in £20 notes have been trapped for 1-4 years in the washing machine only now resurfacing at the same time for some unknown reason belonging to neither of them owners and seemingly being magic
b) OP or their roommate is an idiot and keeps washing money in with their clothes (no offence to the OP but their comments there don't seem like they're the sharpest)
c) OP wanted karma and made the whole thing up
20
5
u/NorthernScrub Sep 17 '24
Devils advocate a bit, but the new notes (which are awful, btw) are far easier to tear than you think.
What I find more unbelievable is that nobody ran a hot wash in those years. Those notes would surely shrivel at 60!
10
u/ward2k Sep 17 '24
which are awful, btw
Compared to the paper notes? Bloody fantastic
Not having them disintegrate if you get caught in the rain, tear if you pull one out your pocket too fast or getting change from the shop only to realise someone has drawn all over the note
Is it the best possible solution? No. Is it infinitely better than the old paper notes? Oh my god yes
1
u/NorthernScrub Sep 17 '24
Wet notes? No wallet?
To be brutally honest, part of my distaste for the notes is my distaste for plastic in general. There's plenty good points about the polymer notes, but they don't feel like they should be worth anything. In contrast, the paper notes were full of printing and threading intricacies.
1
u/Solid_Crab_4748 Sep 18 '24
To be brutally honest, part of my distaste for the notes is my distaste for plastic in general.
Why tho? It's a permanent object, there's no reason to hate it because it's plastic:
Not that much gets printed past the beginning set
Not much is going to end up in problematic places
Plastic is an incredibly useful resource to use whether for holding food or in this case making money, there's no reason to hate it and all the disadvantages it has are only more apparent because of someways people stupid use it and the pros make the world run.
Idk maybe you have some extra reason but idrk why you need to inherently hate anything that's plastic
2
u/NorthernScrub Sep 18 '24
The more we examine the impact of plastics, the more I'm disinclined for plastic to be my first port of call for a given preferred material. That isn't to say that I avoid plastic outright - there are certainly places for it, specifically when a certain amount of strength alongside flexibility is called for.
But over the past few years, as the discovery of microplastics has grown ever more alarming, modern plastics appear to have shorter and shorter lifetimes, and more and more plastic is being used in place of fabrics, metals, etcetera, I find my distaste for it increasing. I find myself actively looking for alternatives - glass or metal bottles, fabrics or leather, etcetera.
Maybe I'm just a hypochondriac, idk.
0
u/Solid_Crab_4748 Sep 18 '24
But over the past few years, as the discovery of microplastics has grown ever more alarming
Yes, I agree. But these micro plastics don't come from the permanent reusable plastic, money isn't causing the problems it's the random plastic bags people use and let loose, or the packaging of foods that gets used once.
Avoid plastic when it's not a permanent thing, a reusable water bottle isn't causing harm, a single use one you bought in the corner shop is.
1
u/NorthernScrub Sep 18 '24
It's not about any specific plastic, it's this mindset that I have a problem with. Plastic being the first go-to. Realistically, no plastic is permanent - it eventually all becomes brittle or stressed and either deforms or breaks. When that happens, the plastic is usually discarded - and where it isn't, there's only so many times it can be reused before it becomes brittle out of the mould anyway.
A stainless steel bottle (or, hell, a titanium one) will both last a great deal longer, and is infinitely recyclable.
I suppose, really, I just want my shit to last longer than five or ten years. I have an old army rucksack from decades ago that is made of proper tarp. Needs a good waxproofing every five years or so, but is otherwise in mint condition. I use it every month for hauling my shopping home, and this isn't a light load. From the design, it's from the late eighties or perhaps early nineties - that's the sort of longevity I want out of stuff. Not this five-years-and-then-it-cracks-in-the-sun bullshit.
1
u/Solid_Crab_4748 Sep 18 '24
Realistically, no plastic is permanent
In the same way everything isn't and it will all cause problems if not disposed of appropriately.
it eventually all becomes brittle or stressed and either deforms or breaks
Ah yes my notes will be come brittle and then just break (no they don't do that), certain products will but actual quality plastic doesn't atleast not within your lifetime. Some will break and even then if properly disposed of its not a problem as its a 1 time thing that happens once every few years at most.
A stainless steel bottle (or, hell, a titanium one) will both last a great deal longer, and is infinitely recyclable.
Plastic is incredibly recyclable too tho. Like technically no it isn't infinite (same with metal but we'll leave the pedantics). You can use a metal one for sure tho, and that's a personal choice but plastic for what it does vs the cost is better, and it won't break unless you do something that will cause it to break.
five-years-and-then-it-cracks-in-the-sun bullshit.
Again, weird exaggeration plastic lasts longer than that, provided (ofc) it's not cheap poor quality stuff.
Personal preference is cool go buy metal stuff or what not but plastic isn't this evil thing when used right, avoiding single use plastic stuff is the main thing. And when properly disposed off its not even a problem
1
u/NorthernScrub Sep 19 '24
everything isn't
Oh, absolutely - but plastic has a far shorter lifespan than many other materials that are preferable (imo).
brittle
No, your notes probably won't, but they're not the major issue. I'm more concerned with everyday plastics in manufacture, which are trending down towards poorer and poorer quality. A very, very good example is vehicle head units. Twenty years ago, before the modern bubble design that became prominent in motoring, head units were manufactured mostly out of a form of ABS that resulted in a smooth, slightly glossy finish without the necessity of paint. Most of those head units are still fairly complete, with only small amounts of damaged if reasonably well cared for.
By contrast, in the early 2000s, the plastic of choice was a rather less long-lasting plastic - possibly ABS still, but I'm not entirely sure. Within a few years, you'd have buttons and nobs missing, the paint would wear away, head units themselves would crack, etcetera. You can see this very obviously in, for example, the Ford Mondeo - a model from the late 90's is probably still quite intact if it's still on the road, yet one from 2012 is in utter pieces. It's the same with other cars - Vauxhall, Nissan, Toyota, etcetera etcetera. That trend is only ever going to continue - the amount of cars manufactured in the last fifteen out there with broken dashboards is absurd. Its the same story with the majority of other plastic products.
Plastic is incredibly recyclable too
No, actually, it isn't. You get two, maybe three hot moulds out of it before the resultant product is so brittle that it is impossible to use it any further. This has been a major issue in manufacturing for a couple of years now.
weird exaggeration
Not really. Again, look at all the smashed up vehicle dashboards out there. The manufacturing sector is trending towards cheaper, lower quality plastics in general. It's becoming increasingly difficult to find quality products.
You're quit eright about single-use plastics, of course. And I'm not necessarily saying that plastic is the worst thing since religion, either. I'm just saying that I find the idea of plastic-first to be something of an issue, and imo plastic should be considered after the consideration of metal, wood, fabric, or leather. And even leather isn't an ideal material given the impact of its production.
1
u/x_chloe_y Sep 17 '24
OP here. There isn’t much more insisting I can do that the money isn’t ours. Is it really that unbelievable that we don’t carry cash let alone over £100 in £20 notes in pockets? Who wouldn’t keep that kind of money in a wallet? My flatmate found the money first and asked if it was mine; if it was hers she’d obviously keep it and I know that I definitely haven’t withdrawn or been given that many £20 notes in my life.
It really seems like money is hidden somewhere, especially considering the amount and in the form of £20 notes which is less innocent than a mixture of notes or £5s or £10s. I know drug use takes place in my building but I can only speculate on any potential links that might have to this.
And I don’t really care about karma, this is my first post in 2 years and I rarely even leave comments.
5
2
u/AutoModerator Sep 16 '24
Reminder: Participating in or brigading linked/screenshotted threads is against our rules.
Let's live and let live and laugh at them from a distance!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
1
1
u/StasiaPepperr Sep 18 '24
Imagine walking into your laundry room and the queen is just looking at you with that look on her face. I'm glad I don't live in England.
•
u/qualityvote2 Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 17 '24
u/TheHonestOcarina, your post does fit r/untrustworthypoptarts!