# Clothes Dryer PSEUDO-Science **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 29, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475 "2004-07-29T18:46:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/1 "2004-07-29T18:46:56Z")
From General Questions The thread was supposed to be Clothes Dryer ‘Science’ and ends up as anything but. It never ceases to amaze me how much downright ignorance is posted as fact on the SDMB’s. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/2 "2004-07-29T19:05:10Z")
For anyone too lazy to walk all the way down to the basement to see if the clothes are dry here is the [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268483) ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/3 "2004-07-29T19:19:20Z")
From General Questions [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=268483) was supposed to be Clothes Dryer ‘Science’ but thanks to a bunch of no good fucknuggets it ends up anything but. It never ceases to amaze me how much bullshit that some shitstains can pull out of their dumb asses and post as fact on the SDMB. You all fucking suck. (that OP was just screaming to be re-written.) ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/4 "2004-07-29T19:26:16Z")
Of course, **your** contribution to that thread was the pinnacle of scientific thought. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/5 "2004-07-29T19:38:55Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > …(that OP was just screaming to be re-written.) You forgot to end with “This post has been debased by the Debaser”. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/6 "2004-07-29T19:49:15Z")
[beating old drum] I am damn tired of seeing Pit threads without a link in the OP. It’s not that hard people. Sigh. [/drum] ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/7 "2004-07-29T20:24:58Z")
Well, let’s review: 1. OP posts a **question** in **General Questions** , of all places. 2. A poster posts an incorrect reply, in my judgment. 3. **spingears** posts a complete non-sequitur: > [@spingears](#): > > When you take a load to the washer and start it up. > > EMPTY THE COTTON PICKEN DRYER! > > G E T O R G A N I Z E D ! 1. I answer the OP’s question. As usual, nobody notices. (sigh) 2. More discussion follows about wrinkly towels. :rolleyes: 3. Nineteen posts after mine, another poster posts essentially the same thing I did, but unfortunately veers off into making some scientific mis-statements. 4. More random discussion follows… 5. Post #30, **spingears** , despite there now being two statements about the amount of energy required to dry a given amount of wet clothing vs. the amount of energy required to heat a batch of dry laundry, not to mention my caveat “assuming the OP doesn’t overfill the dryer and prevent the clothes from being able to move around”, posts this: > [@spingears](#): > > The mixing of damp and dry towels in dryer will slow the drying time by impeding the flow of air through the dryer. > > Why dry something already dry? “Why dry something already dry?” What the hell does that mean? :rolleyes: For that matter, since we’re discussing science, what the hell does “slow the drying time” mean, anyway? You mean “increase the drying time”? 9. Post #31, another person posts the same thing I said back in Post #4. > [@grienspace](#): > > … however the dryer time overall is _primarily_ a function of the initial quantity of moisture , and if given free access to the warm air vehicle for transference out of the dryer, the inert mass (dry towels) will have little effect. 1. Post #34, **spingears** , contradicting his earlier post (Post #30), in which he stated that “mixing of damp and dry towels in dryer will slow [sic] the drying time,” now apparently believes that the presence of a dry towel won’t make any difference in drying time. > [@spingears](#): > > Why, in the name of common sense, gives you any basis for thinking a dry towel added to a wet one will make any difference in drying time over one wet towel? Which again, is what I said back in Post #4. I agree. Not a whole lot of rational discussion going on—just a bunch of people talking past each other. P.S. Sorry to pick on you, **spingears** , but you started this thread, after all. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/8 "2004-07-29T20:58:08Z")
Well I seem to have asked a \*\*Really Stupid Question \*\* and I’m halfway afraid to poke my head in here but I do want to thank you Robby. You did give a clear and concise answer, it just wasn’t the one I was hoping for ;), and I should have acknowledged it. My question was serious but you guys did get the self-mocking tone, right? I mean “I’m a busy guy I don’t have time to fold my towels”? Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/9 "2004-07-29T21:11:59Z")
Well, I thought _my_ post in that thread was witty and urbane. Hmph. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/10 "2004-07-29T21:21:05Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Well, I thought _my_ post in that thread was witty and urbane. > > Hmph. Actually your post was too close to the money and I was ashamed to 'fess up. It _was_ witty and urbane, or perhaps suburbane, and if anyone accuses you of spreading pseudoscience I’ll smack 'em with a wet Hawawaiin shirt! ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/11 "2004-07-29T22:01:30Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > “I’m a busy guy I don’t have time to fold my towels”. **banging my head on the table** , after actually reading the whole thread; I just gotta say: DON’T fold the fucking towels! Some people fold and press friggin’ _underwear_! :smack: Unless its visible, don’t waste your time or precious energy (yours, or the iron or dryers). Shirts and pants, I grudgingly concede. Everything else; stuff it! Towels? Stuff 'em! (in or on anything near to hand). It just ain’t worth it, man… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2004, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/12 "2004-07-29T22:49:09Z")
I don’t know why, but it must be some kind of unwritten law of the universe; the more trivial a real-world science question, the more likely the following discussion is to turn into a total fucking trainwreck - I’ve fallen foul of this a number of times in GQ (and I was right all along, BTW). ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/13 "2004-07-30T13:50:17Z")
You know, Mangey, I think you’ve stumbled on to one of those Universal Truths. I’d never consciously noticed it before, but I do believe you are correct. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/14 "2004-07-30T13:53:33Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > Well I seem to have asked a \*\*Really Stupid Question \*\* and I’m halfway afraid to poke my head in here but I do want to thank you Robby. You did give a clear and concise answer, it just wasn’t the one I was hoping for ;), and I should have acknowledged it. You’re welcome! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/15 "2004-07-30T14:02:49Z")
I just love it when threads turn into train wrecks. It never ceases to amaze me what Dopers can do with a simple question. The all time classic of this genre is the one on [Rudolph](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=48886&highlight=rudolph). ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/16 "2004-07-30T16:35:20Z")
What a ridiculous pitting this. The thread in question is/was a fairly standard back and forth GQ thread with some side comments, and some mistaken assumptions and opinions which were corrected. It’s kind of what the SDMB is supposed to be all about, and though meandering, it was hardly a worthy point of focus for the white hot fury evident in this pitting. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/17 "2004-07-30T17:54:21Z")
I doubt the long-term viability of the “no joke threads in the Pit” rule. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/18 "2004-07-31T06:59:22Z")
> [@trandallt](#): > > My question was serious but you guys did get the self-mocking tone, right? I mean “I’m a busy guy I don’t have time to fold my towels”? Sheesh. In my opinion, when a GQ OP makes a statement like this, you should 1. say, perhaps in a “I know this is probably obvious, but just in case it’s not…” tone, “Well what you _really should_ do is…” and then explain why if necessary. However, if such a post has already been made, PLEASE SKIP STEP 1. 1. Answer the question as it was posed, even if it’s been proven useless, because the answer may be interesting. In this case, you could obviously avoid the question entirely, as mentioned a skillion times in the linked thread. But the question itself is still interesting in its own way, so go ahead and answer it. And it’s not really necessary to list all the things the OP could have done with the towels. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2004, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothes-dryer-pseudo-science/257475/19 "2004-07-31T11:49:15Z")
> [@spingears](#): > > From General Questions > > The thread was supposed to be Clothes Dryer ‘Science’ and ends up as anything but. > > It never ceases to amaze me how much downright ignorance is posted as fact on the SDMB’s. **springears** , didn’t you post this in that GQ thread: > [@](#): > > Correction Please. Individual molecules of water evaporate at the bulk temperatue of the towels, not at 100C. An open pan of water evaporates, just as sweat does, at whatever temperature it is at as well as the moisture in the towels. > > It is impossible for molecules of water to exist at a temperature higher than the bryer temperature. I’m not flaming you, both because I do not feel to and because I’m just about to be AFK for some time and can’t participate in any back-and-forth, but I will say that your statement here is not consistent with the fact that the individual molecules are at different termperatures, some of them well above the bulk measured temperature and some of them below, and that you need to consider that thermodynamics is a statistical effect in many ways. I did a Staff Report on the subject of why a persons hands evaporate water on them under a hot air source, which addresses this in most respects: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mevaporation.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mevaporation.html) It is possible that your Pitting of the thread and of the participants within it was not quite warranted.