Snakes on a plane… and in washing machines?

An Evanston homeowner opened up their washing machine to find a snake inside Wednesday, authorities said.

"I was totally creeped out," Sanela Kamencic told NBC 5. "How did a snake get in the house let alone the washer?"

Evanston Officer Pedro Carrasco and Animal Control Warden Jason Pound responded to the scene and brought the reptile to the Chicago Exotics Animal Hospital.

"I saw it peeking its head out of the washing machine," Carrasco said.

"I could smell it and could tell that it had actually been through a cycle," Pound said. "Smelled like Downy."

The animal went through a wash cycle, but survived, according to the veterinarian who treated it.

“We have never had a snake come in that was found in a washing machine,” she said. “It looked pretty good. Was able to do an exam on it.”

The snake, named Penelope, apparently belongs to a 12-year-old boy, who lived nearby and had lost the animal three days earlier. The young owner was reunited with the snake following the incident.