“I found an earthworm in my washing machine”, states this reader in her submission, which does not include a picture of the worm. “It was not in the clothes before I put them in the machine. How could it get in there? And what should I do to get rid of more? Thank you!” To answer our reader’s question in short, earthworms can come up through drains, and that is likely how it ended up in the washing machine. The reason earthworms come up through people’s drains is usually because there is a leak in the pipes somewhere underground. To see if she might be experiencing a leak, our reader can be on the lookout for the following signs: smelly water, foul-tasting water, changes in water pressure, and inconsistencies in water temperature.