# Where does belly button lint come from?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [March 12, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233 "2009-03-12T18:12:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c2a13f/32.png) [@pipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipper)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/1 "2009-03-12T18:12:24Z")

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Sounds like this answer needs a bit of updating based on a recent study:

[http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-talk-navel-lintmar09,0,185325.story](http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/chi-talk-navel-lintmar09,0,185325.story)

Link to the column: [Where does belly button lint come from? - The Straight Dope](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/69/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from)

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**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/2 "2009-03-12T19:41:23Z")

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That sounds very much like a study of little value. I can’t think of many studies that have much value when you limit them to studying your own situation. Of course, reading the study might prove it has more to it than appears.

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**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/3 "2009-03-12T19:50:32Z")

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My Dad always called belly button lint “furntwerner”. I probably have the spelling wrong, if it’s even a real word.

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**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/4 "2009-03-13T00:49:42Z")

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Your shirt.

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**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/5 "2009-03-13T00:50:53Z")

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Oh I almost forgot - my husband mentioned that it’s actually interdimensional elves. 😛

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**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/6 "2009-03-13T15:11:47Z")

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From the study:

> [@](#):
>
> The researcher spent three years studying 503 pieces of schmutz from his own belly button, then published his conclusions in the journal Medical Hypotheses under the title, “The nature of navel fluff.”

This stuff just writes its own jokes, doesn’t it?😃

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-belly-button-lint-come-from/489233/7 "2009-03-13T18:26:45Z")

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Yeah, he’s a real navel gazer.