Waterproof ear phones!

I can officially confirm that Zune 2 ear phones are water proof, but not quite wash proof!
My dear mother kindly offered to help with some clothes washing and to my horror found she had a confession to make, that my rather expensive Zune 2 ear phones were put through the washing machine.

More amazing is the fact that they still actually work just fine! However the outer fabric cable cover has gone in a few places leaving the inner cable exposed, also the cable is not quite as soft and flexible as it once was, perhaps she was using starch! I'm just glad it wasn't the Zune device itself that got washed!! I'm sure there's a lesson to be learnt in here some where.