# Is it dangerous to microwave your underpants? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701 "2011-01-31T22:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/41 "2011-02-01T20:49:01Z")
> [@](#): > > In order for something to be considered part of the EM spectrum, it needs to be composed of photon quanta, right? > > How are alpha/beta particles EM radiation, then? They aren’t EM radiation. Not all radiation is electromagnetic. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/42 "2011-02-01T21:42:25Z")
Right, that’s my point. Cosmic rays are made up of neutrons alpha and beta particles (right?) so they can’t be part of the EM spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/43 "2011-02-01T21:44:30Z")
Personally I wouldn’t, it might cause a short circuit. ---
**Author:** ![Shabbyskunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Shabbyskunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shabbyskunk)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/44 "2011-02-01T23:28:49Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > And I love how we just assume it’s a guy, because we all hope women are smarter than this and don’t put their drawers in the microwave. Just to clear the matter. I am a girl.. and i live with some very ‘interesting’ friends. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/45 "2011-02-01T23:37:55Z")
I have put my bras in the microwave, when I was breastfeeding and suffering from thrush. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/46 "2011-02-01T23:45:31Z")
“Remember how Mom used to microwave our underwear on cold days?” -Bart Simpson ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/47 "2011-02-02T00:21:59Z")
I vaguely recall being told that you should microwave your undies when you have a yeast infection. The idea being that whatever yeast – um, spores? – beasties manage to stay clinging to the fabric through the laundry will get fried by the microwaves. Have no idea if this is true, it might well be an UL. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/48 "2011-02-02T01:06:09Z")
Probably safer to boil them, in that case. The yeastie beasties are too small to be affected by the microwaves directly, and so would only be killed by the ambient heat, but uneven heating could easily leave cool spots sufficient for them to hide in. ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/49 "2011-02-02T01:08:47Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > In a certain highly convoluted sense, what you said is nearly true. It’s simply the case that heat will be radiating from the underpants into your crotch, and higher crotch temperatures may be associated with a reduced sperm count. But that’s certainly not what you were apparently concerned about. > > There’s often confusion about the issue, but microwave radiation is not dangerous in the same way that X-rays or nuclear radiation is. Really it’s not a lot more dangerous than an incandescent lightbulb, which is also radiation, but most of the time people call it just “light” and “infrared”. > > That said, don’t microwave your underpants while you’re still wearing them. However, the OP could just as well expose his underpants to X-rays and then wear them with no ill effects. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/50 "2011-02-02T03:09:10Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Welcome to the Dope, **Shabbyskunk**. I like your OP. I’d be more worried about you setting fire to your underpants in the microwave. Used a hotel microwave to dry my underpants once. Burned them. Smoke alarm tripped. Man…that was a rough business trip. Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![gregorio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@gregorio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gregorio)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/51 "2011-02-02T04:04:15Z")
> [@Shabbyskunk](#): > > Just to clear the matter. I am a girl.. and i live with some very ‘interesting’ friends. PSXer? > [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > According to wikipedia, alcohol is the #2 ingredient in Febreze. That should burn. > > The article itself is kind of interesting. The #1 ingredient is a huge donut molecule that is supposed to trap smelly molecules. I guess they just lie around on the floor afterwards, or are so big we don’t detect them as odoriferous. I wish to know more about this donut molecule. I always thought Febreeze was kind of sinister. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/52 "2011-02-02T05:40:49Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I don’t usually see X-rays and gamma rays lumped together, but there you go. Originally, the difference between gamma and x-rays was what source they came from. However, it’s often more useful to distinguish rays by frequency/wavelength than by source (especially in astronomy, where you often didn’t exactly what the source was), so it became common to use _gamma ray_ for harder radiation and _x-ray_ for somewhat softer radiation. However, there’s no agreed upon boundary between the two, so there’s lots of overlap where both terms may be used for the same radiation. > [@](#): > > It also calls the microwave region “radar” and has an additional area in between "radar’ and “infrared” that it calls “developmental” (I haven’t seen that one before). Nor have I. There’s a few terms for that section of the spectrum. Terahertz radiation and T-rays are a couple of them. Astronomers call it submillimeter radiation. There is currently a certain amount of research into practical uses of this region, so perhaps that was what was meant. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/53 "2011-02-02T06:01:58Z")
I’ve learned a lot in this thread. Soooo… microwaves are perfectly safe for underwear, but ionizing radiation is potentially dangerous. What if I hit my boxers with some gamma rays? ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/54 "2011-02-02T19:57:32Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Is your underwear dangerous after you shine a flashlight on it? That was not a flashlight; I was just happy to see you. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/55 "2011-02-02T20:01:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > PThe yeastie beasties are too small to be affected by the microwaves directly, Wow, really? So obviously bacteria would be too, right? I always thought that microwaving would kill stuff like that. I guess I’m lucky to be alive. ---
**Author:** ![wbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/439d5e/32.png) [@wbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wbeaty)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/56 "2011-02-02T20:04:07Z")
How much radiation does your underwear already give off? It depends on the length of the radiator. And its temperature. ---
**Author:** ![brocks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7feea3/32.png) [@brocks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brocks)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/57 "2011-02-02T20:05:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Really, all you need is complicated molecules (where by “complicated”, I mean more complicated than diatomic) Wait, you just said yeast was too small to be affected, and now you say a triatomic molecule is big enough? Please clarify. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/58 "2011-02-10T14:04:41Z")
No, he said yeast is too small to be reliably targeted – obviously if a yeast cell actually catches a photon, it will absorb its energy, but if you’re trying to kill all of the yeast cells, they all need to get hit. This is different from just heating an inert mass, where it doesn’t matter which molecules catch the photons, as the heat energy can (and will) be redistributed amongst all the molecules. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/59 "2011-02-10T14:10:09Z")
OK, this thread has appeared in Threadspotting, with the tag line “Buttwarmers! (Do not try this at home)”; are TPTB suggesting that one should do this at work?? ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701/60 "2011-02-10T15:04:32Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > What if I hit my boxers with some gamma rays? Your genitals will get big and green whenever you get mad. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-dangerous-to-microwave-your-underpants/569701.md?page=4)