2-Piece Traditional Nylon Washable Bathroom Rug Set, Chili Pepper Red

Q: Are these hard on spinnung washing machines?

Not at all, the more important question is if the machine will tear apart the rugs--no but don't overwash.

Q: Is the lid cover elongated?

I didn't get the lid cover. the the 2 rectangles throws.

Q: are the sizes accurate? 17X214 and 21X34? why do people, then, think they're small, if it's listed here?

Yes, those measurements are within a 1/2" of being correct. I think there are two things at play here regarding people's expectations. The first is you normally don't see the smaller size in stores in this rectangle shape. Usually they are in the shape of a toilet rug which wraps around. So while you see the measurements, they don't go with your visual expectations of what rectangular rug sizes you see in the store. This small rug is unusual in my years of experience. We see what we want to see. Second reason - we don't usually have a ruler handy when ordering what we think are "normal" rug sizes and we don't take the time to really understand what we are ordering.