# Lint

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 19, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041 "2001-08-19T20:16:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/1 "2001-08-19T20:16:26Z")

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Doing laundry today, I was struck with this question… How does a dryer’s lint trap collect and keep all of the lint from the clothes in that one small area, to be diposed of later? How is it removed from the clothes? Any help would be nice.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/2 "2001-08-19T20:25:09Z")

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When your clothes rub up against each other in the dryer, little tiny pieces of the fabric wear off and get blown around, carried by the flowing air being blown across the clothes. That air is forced over a screen or mesh of some sort, which catches much of the airborne detritus and accumulates it as lint.

Hope this helps.

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**Author:** ![gtzaskar00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@gtzaskar00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gtzaskar00)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/3 "2001-08-19T20:27:38Z")

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I am assuming that the more the clothes are dry, the easier it is for that “lint” to be removed. If I took a sinlge article of clothing, which was covered by cat hair or something, and threw it in the dryer on its own, would the lint removal system work to get rid of the hair on the clothing?

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**Author:** ![sewalk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@sewalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sewalk)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/4 "2001-08-20T11:50:11Z")

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Works like a charm on cat hair or dog hair or girlfriend hair, just like lint. Anything that can be rubbed off of the clothes and picked up in the airstream will be trapped in the lint filter.

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**Author:** ![Popup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@Popup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Popup)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/5 "2001-08-20T13:00:17Z")

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Am I the only one to think of [lint](http://software.oit.pdx.edu/cgi-bin/hman-gnu?ManTopic=lint&ManSection=1)?  
I guess it only shows what an oldfashioned geek I am.

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**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2001, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lint/77041/6 "2001-08-20T13:09:52Z")

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No, it only shows what a “geek” you are. 😃

[pocket protector–check]  
[Cheetos–check]  
[6-pack of Jolt–check]  
[PDA–check]

Great! Now back to work! 😃