# Panty Thief? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 22, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276 "2011-02-22T20:28:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/41 "2011-02-23T15:55:26Z")
FWIW, I definitely had the paranoia that my socks and underwear were vanishing somehow (and I _really_ didn’t think someone was stealing them), but in the end, I decided they’d just been scattered between two many different laundry bags, etc, and a few thrown out. So, you should definitely test out the more sinister theories! But if not, even if it seems impossible, it has happened to at least one other person… ---
**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 23, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/42 "2011-02-23T16:20:04Z")
Gather some poison ivy. Carefully, with gloves on, rub the leaves on the inside crotch of the panties. Set them on top of your dresser. Be careful not to forget and put them on yourself. If they disappear, chuckle to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Heckity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Heckity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heckity)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/43 "2011-02-23T16:41:07Z")
> [@Fell\_through\_the\_Ice](#): > > I’d suspect the cleaning lady. Victoria’s Secret ain’t cheap. That gets my vote too. I had a cleaning lady years ago that “borrowed” my shoes all the time. It was the oddest thing. I’d look for a particular pair and find them no where - then they’d suddenly appear again - but the strap was adjusted to fit a larger foot. I started to pay attention and several items of clothing disappeared over a 3-month period. I fired her and the thieving stopped. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/44 "2011-02-23T21:03:08Z")
Actually, I wouldn’t say anything else to the cleaning lady if you suspect her. If she is the culprit, you have no idea what else she could be doing, if she’s not you’ll have damaged a bond that you’ve had for years. There are tons of options you can get from places like [this](http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/covert-hidden-video-spy-cameras.html) that will let you find out if anyone is entering your house and taking them. Just set it up to point towards your panty drawer and check it in a couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/45 "2011-02-23T23:14:24Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > The good news is that the police usually keep baskets full of panties There’s the explanation - your local P.D. has the motto “Serve, protect, and collect panties”. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/46 "2011-02-24T14:08:10Z")
I think the only thing you can do at this point is to just stop wearing them. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/47 "2011-02-24T14:15:06Z")
> [@BottledBlondJeanie](#): > > I’m in the house this week. **needscoffee** , I’m bringing home new pairs tomorrow in the pink striped bag. They’ll be put in my drawer, Then I am counting. I’m out of here on Friday, and no one is scheduled to be in the house for the next week. > > I’ll drop by late next week and recount. If there are any missing I am freaking out, and setting up the webcam. > > I trust the cleaning lady like my mom. She’s helped me for over 5 years and would have the opportunity to take better stuff than panties. My SO really doesn’t come to my house. I can’t even recall if he knows the new alarm code. He has ample panty pilfering available to him at his/our house, but those numbers stay relatively similar. > > And I just rechecked the dryer vent with my brush of doom and a flashlight–one sock, no panties. What areas does the cleaning lady cover. Would she have any reason to go into your dresser? Does she dust the front of your dresser? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/48 "2011-02-24T14:50:17Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I think the only thing you can do at this point is to just stop wearing them. How dare you interrupt our wild over reactions and dangerous trap suggestions with a sensible and inexpensive alternative that would not only diffuse the whole situation, but would work well with Spring and Summer approaching? 😃 …next you’ll be fighting ignorance, and who knows where that might lead? ---
**Author:** ![PoorYorick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PoorYorick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoorYorick)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/49 "2011-02-24T15:00:11Z")
> [@Rebo](#): > > Set up a webcam! That’s what a friend of mine did when she was having the same problem. It turned out that the culprit was her landlady’s son. He was using his mother’s key to get in the house. What was cool was when he got busted. He was doing the indignant outrage bit, then she played the tape. Sweet. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/50 "2011-02-25T21:52:04Z")
This is way better than the lip augmentation thread 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2017, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/52 "2017-07-12T11:21:14Z")
Reported. ---
**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:** [July 12, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276/53 "2017-07-12T12:59:17Z")
I don’t know the age and gender of your children, but I’d do some snooping around their drawers and closets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panty-thief/572276.md?page=2)