I've never (knock on wood) washed my cell phone (Buddy has chewed on a few...)
Countless tube of chapstick have gone through the washer, thats no big deal, but it's when they make it to the dryer that the damage is done!
This past Spring I had bought 4 news shirt and was washing them with other stuff... put them in the dryer. When I went to fold them is when I found the tube of chapstick. Took the lid off... and nothing was left inside. When I started folding my new shirts, they all were ruined. They all had melted chapstick all over them. I tried stain stick... everything.. nothing got it out. They are were ruined before I ever wore them! Ugh... they are in my "grubby clothes drawer" now!

edit.. oh yeah.. years ago I sent my hubby's pager through the washer AND dryer and it worked!! He never had a problem with it! (he never found out what I did to it! )