Washing dirty laundry could become much more entertaining for people across the world after a bizarre feature on a common washing machine brand left people in shock.
The simple washing machine may seem like any other boring appliance necessary in the home but one particular brand has far more to it than meets the eye.
A New Zealand resident was left dumbfounded this month when they found their Fisher and Paykel top loader could play the national anthem.
Taking to website Reddit a few weeks ago, the surprised man shared a video of the appliance sounding out the tune after the push of a few buttons.
It probably sounds completely ridiculous but the footage proves it is absolutely true. The unique feature baffled those young and old with many leaving comments of disbelief and amazement on the website. Other videos of the washing machines playing music have also been shared on social media as more people try out the unique feature.
For anyone who wants to see whether their F&P washing machine has the national anthem Easter egg, here’s how you do it. My eldest son found out about it on reddit. pic.twitter.com/vJuijhrFRA
— Michelle Edgerley (@MichelleEdgerle) March 9, 2019
“Just tried it, amazing. Showed my flatmates and we both stood there in the laundry singing,” one person wrote alongside the post on Reddit.
“We did this at work, was the weirdest moment. Five tradies staring at the washing machine in silence,” another added.
A third wrote: “This made my day. I’ve been playing with this since 6am, hope I don’t wake my flat makes up.”
While the video shows the washing machine playing the New Zealand national anthem, the initial poster confirmed it can actually sound out a number of different tunes.
“If you hold down ‘water level up’ instead of ‘wash temp up’, it beeps once. If you now play the tune again, it has changed to the Australian anthem,” the man explained. “Repeat to cycle through UK and USA anthems before returning to NZ.”
Speaking to Yahoo 7 News about the creative feature, Fisher and Paykel Senior Corporate Communications Specialist Andrew Luxmoore explained the feature has been installed in the machines for a number of years with different tunes added over time.
He said it was initially created in recognition to the brand’s “proud kiwi heritage” and is a “little Easter egg” for those who discover it.
“Originally the function was programmed into our washing machines for demonstration purposed out on showroom floors,” Luxmoore told Yahoo 7 News.
“The product development team always gets a bit of a kick when it pops back up on social media and a new generation discovers the function.”
According to Luxmoore the best way to play the anthem on the appliance is to press the power button along with the right button before pressing up on the water temperature. Once finished enjoying the tune, the washing machine can be programmed to its wash mode by turning the appliance off and on again at the power supply.