Sooner or later it's something that everyone does; you put your jeans into the washing machine, having completely forgotten about the money in the pocket. Coins, on the whole, survive the experience relatively (harm), but the same is not true of banknotes.
These have a (tend) to disintegrate as a result of prolonged (expose) to the forces of heat, water and detergent. If you live in Britain, however, all may not be lost. It is possible to send damaged banknotes, (accept) for use as payment in shops and other retail (let), to the Bank of England's 'Mutilated Notes Section' (BEMS) in Leeds. Here experts will give the note a thorough (examine) and, if they are convinced that it is indeed the remains of a valid banknote, they will send you a (replace) - or at least a cheque of the equivalent value.
And it's not only washing machines that destroy notes. According to BEMS staff, who receive up to 500 (apply) per week, toddlers and puppy dogs also figure high on the list of offenders, as do people who hide their savings in rather (fortune) places, such as microwave ovens or damp cellars. Sometimes, even banks make use of the service, as happened during last year's spring floods when a number of branches found that their burglar-proof and fireproof safes sadly were not (equal) waterproof.