Laundry!

I have no idea what the context here is, except that someone has probably just spilled something:

Tim peered at the tag. “Machine wash cold with mild detergent, no bleach. Tumble dry low heat with tennis balls.”*

“What?!” Julie exclaimed, grabbing it from him and confirming that he wasn’t making it up. “What sort of a cleaning instruction is that? I’ve never heard of something you couldn’t wash if you don’t play tennis.”

“Do you play tennis?”

“No!”

“Hmm.” Tim shot her a look of wry sympathy and glanced at Greg. “Step back a few feet, and let’s try this again,” he said. The ferret blinked and obliged, as the hamster glanced from the tag to his friend and back. “Further…further…”

“Ow!” Greg said as he bumped his head against the door frame. “Is this far enough?!”

“Try a few feet more,” Tim suggested. The ferret scowled and obeyed.

“There!” the hamster proclaimed triumphantly. “Now it’s just ‘machine wash cold, regular cycle, tumble dry.’”

“There are washing instructions that really say that!” the ferret protested. “It isn’t always my fault! Really!”

Tim peered at the tag. "Machine wash cold with mild detergent, no bleach. Tumble dry low heat with tennis balls."

"What?!" Julie exclaimed, grabbing it from him and confirming that he wasn’t making it up. "What sort of a cleaning instruction is that? I’ve never heard of something you couldn’t wash if you don’t play tennis."

"Do you play tennis?"

"No!"

"Hmm." Tim shot her a look of wry sympathy and glanced at Greg. "Step back a few feet, and let’s try this again," he said. The ferret blinked and obliged, as the hamster glanced from the tag to his friend and back. "Further…further…"

"Ow!" Greg said as he bumped his head against the door frame. "Is this far enough?!"

"Try a few feet more," Tim suggested. The ferret scowled and obeyed.

"There!" the hamster proclaimed triumphantly. "Now it’s just ‘machine wash cold, regular cycle, tumble dry.’"

"There are washing instructions that really say that!" the ferret protested. "It isn’t always my fault! Really!"

* I have the feeling that, at some point in the future, someone is going to credit me with making this up. It's a paraphrase of the real washing instructions for my comforter.