The internet is no stranger to relatable mishaps, but one single mom’s laundry fail recently took the cake, resonating with millions on TikTok and beyond. Colleen Lorig (@leenpat) shared a video documenting the moment she discovered a soggy, toilet paper-infused disaster in her washing machine, turning a bad day into a comically catastrophic one. The video quickly went viral, sparking laughter, empathy, and a flurry of cleaning advice from fellow internet users.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: More Than Just a Laundry Fail
Lorig’s laundry debacle wasn’t an isolated incident. The 31-year-old mom shared with PEOPLE exclusively that her day had already been filled with a series of minor inconveniences, culminating in the toilet paper tragedy. Before discovering the pulpy mess in her washer, she’d opened a new bag of protein chips only to find it filled with nothing but crumbs. “I was just having a bad day,” Lorig explained, “like a bunch of little inconvenient things were happening.”
Adding to the stress, Lorig had just paid rent and groceries, leaving her financially strapped. The realization that she couldn’t immediately replace the wasted toilet paper pushed her over the edge. “I call my mom and I’m crying and she’s laughing,” Lorig recounted. “And the reason I was crashing out so hard is I’m a single mom and rent was due. I just paid rent, bought the groceries for me and the kids. And so I was like very upset because I was like, I actually cannot get more toilet paper right now.”
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How Did it Happen? A Perfect Storm of Bad Luck and Auto-Pilot
The culprit behind the laundry disaster? An open pack of toilet paper stored above the washing machine. Lorig explained that she habitually grabbed rolls from the open package, and the entire pack had tumbled into the washer unnoticed. With AirPods in her ears and focused on other chores, she unknowingly added a load of towels on top of the fallen toilet paper, sealing its soggy fate. “I had purchased it probably a couple weeks ago. It was a huge thing of toilet paper. So it sat above my washing machine and the plastic was open. Every time I needed toilet paper, I just grabbed a roll. So it all just kind of tumbled down [into the machine],” she recounts. “But I didn’t notice because I had my AirPods in, I was doing other housework.”
Lorig’s everyday challenges are compounded by the lingering effects of a stroke she suffered at the young age of 25. The stroke, caused by a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM), left her with limited mobility in her right hand. This physical limitation played a role in the incident, as she had to use her chin to help hold the towels while loading the washing machine, further obscuring the hidden toilet paper. She had a bundle of towels in her arms when she went to load the washing machine. As a result, she has some limited movement in her right hand, which she says made it so she had to use her chin to help hold up the load of towels she was carrying. Couple this with her already annoying day and her auto-pilot chore routine, and it was easy for her to miss that the open toilet paper pack had fallen into the washer before she started her load.
The Aftermath: A Cleanup of Epic Proportions and Viral Fame
The cleanup process, Lorig admitted, was a multi-hour ordeal that will “haunt me for a long time.” Following her mother’s advice, she let the soggy mess dry overnight before attempting to shake out the clumps of disintegrated paper. She then meticulously scooped out the remaining wet pulp, a task she described as “disgusting texturally.” Multiple washes and a vinegar rinse eventually dissolved the remaining residue, though Lorig suspects lingering toilet paper particles will continue to plague her washing machine for some time. “I literally had to do it in silence. I was so upset,” Lorig says. “It took a couple hours. But my mom was like, you know what? Open the [washer], and then in the morning, hopefully, it’ll be a little bit dry, and just shake it out.” “That’s what I did in [my follow-up] video. I’m just shaking all the toilet paper essentially out,” she continues. “And then I had to go through and scoop all the wet toilet paper — which is disgusting texturally, but you know, people have had worst days. It’s fine. I had to do the wash a couple times. Someone suggested that I run like vinegar through my wash, which dissolved the rest of it.”
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From Laundry Fail to Toilet Paper Riches: The Unexpected Silver Lining
While the incident itself was frustrating, the viral response brought an unexpected silver lining. Lorig received two massive packs of toilet paper from Instacart, a gesture that transformed her initial despair into amused disbelief. She plans to donate one of the packs to a local food pantry, acknowledging the irony of her newfound toilet paper abundance. Her toilet paper supply has also been re-upped. She was gifted two large packs from Instacart after her video went viral, one of which she says she will probably donate to a local pantry because “I don’t even know what to do with all that toilet paper!” Lorig’s story serves as a humorous reminder that even amidst the chaos of everyday life, there’s always room for a little laughter and a lot of community support. It also underscores the power of social media to connect people over shared experiences, turning even the most mundane mishaps into moments of viral connection.
