Cleaning Disaster, Can This Be Cleaned?

[whirlcool]

Earlier today I walked into our home office after returning from an errand and accidentally startled my wife. She was in the process of installing a toner cartridge in our laser printer. She had the door to the new cartridge already opened when she turned. Within a second, we had a black mushroom cloud of laser toner flying around the room. The majority of it went on a nice white throw rug that was in the room.
We vacuumed up as much toner as we could and used paper towels and isopropyl alcohol to remove it from all other surfaces. I took the throw rug outside and shook the majority of the toner off (and on to my shirt!).
Question is, the throw rug and my shirt are machine washable. But if we wash them in the washing machine, will we contaminate the washer and have black spotted clothing for ever and ever more? Or should we just throw them away and buy new ones?

 

[DADoES]

Wash in COLD water. Repeat if you feel necessary, and a couple times to flush the washer.

Whatever methods you try, DO NOT APPLY ANY HEAT TO THE TONER!

Heat sets toner.

 

[whirlcool]

I actually thought about going out and rinsing the rug and shirt off with the garden hose before washing. But maybe the water pressure would press the toner into the rug fibers.

 

[DADoES]

What's the status of your rug and shirt?

 

[lightedcontrols]

suggestion

Take it to the laundromat and put them in the 50lb or larger washer. Use BIZ and COLD WATER TIDE. You may have to wash them twice. Let the items naturally dry, NOT MACHINE, and check for any residue. If there is, wash again as directed. Let me know how they come out. Mark

 

[chachp]

How important are they to you?

All of these sound like a lot of work. If it were me I'd throw them out unless they were REALLY expensive to replace.

 

[whirlcool]

Unfortunately, we threw the rug away. Even after vigourous shaking the toner was clumped in the fibres and while we thought of using the coin op laundry, I had visions of some poor woman coming along afterwards with her white undies and washing them in hot in the same machine and ending up with unremovable black splotches all over them.
As for the shirt, I shook it til it almost fell apart and then washed it in cold water. It did come out clean, I did dry it in the dryer though. No spots or stains.
That was one of the biggest messes I have ever seen! That toner went everywhere! Even though we vacummed the room thoughouly, we are still finding bits of it laying around.
Thank you all so much for your suggestions!