Why is the lint in the lint trap in the dryer ALWAYS blue?
By Poison_Girl
@Poison_Girl (4150)
United States
January 10, 2007 2:37pm CST
Every time I go to empty the lint trap in the dryer, I swear it is ALWAYS blue. Why is that? Or is it just me? Could it be because of my jeans? But I only have one pair. Is that enough to turn all the lint blue? I find it a bit weird. What are your thoughts/experiences?
2 people like this
4 responses
@angelicEmu (1311)
•
12 Jan 07
Washing detergents tend to have an imperceptible tint to them - in the UK it's blue, and called "blueing", and I've heard that in the US they used to use a pink tint (as psychologically in each of those countries, most people associated that colour with looking clean) to give a tinge to white clothes, to help them look extra-clean. Maybe the US detergent-makers have switched over to blue for some reason?! Either that, or as you say, it could be your blue jeans staining the lint...
1 person likes this
@Poison_Girl (4150)
• United States
12 Jan 07
You know, that's an excellent point and I've never even thought of that. The detergents I've used do tend to have a blueish/greyish tint to them. The liquids I've used do, anyway. And in the powders I've used, there's usually some blue crystals or whatever you want to call them. The detergent I have now... I thought it didn't have any and was just plain white, but I just took a look and I can see a few. Most are pretty faint, though. Thanks for pointing that out! :)
@angelicEmu (1311)
•
13 Jan 07
You're welcome! I just remembered it having been mentioned in a science lesson at school - the strange little facts that stick in my brain can come in rather handy sometimes!
1 person likes this
@Poison_Girl (4150)
• United States
13 Jan 07
How come that wasn't taught to me when I was in school? Now I feel like I've missed out! LOL
@sirensanssmile (3764)
• Netherlands
11 Jan 07
The dryer elves that steal your socks dye the lint blue to make it prettier. I am not sure why blue, maybe they think it is your famourite colour or it may be theirs. Who knows for sure. No one has ever caught one before to ask.
1 person likes this
@Poison_Girl (4150)
• United States
12 Jan 07
ROTFL! Well, it actually is MY favorite color. Maybe it's theirs, too. Something we can both agree on, then. The question is, if I don't have any socks in the dryer, how can they steal them? Yes, I wash my socks, but I tend to wash them in warm, so that can't explain why the lint turns blue in my cold loads. If that makes sense... I suppose it's from when they steal the socks from previous loads? Hmmm...
@sirensanssmile (3764)
• Netherlands
13 Jan 07
I think that when there are no socks to steal they move around and steal from other parts of your place. See I had been hanging my socks up instead of putting them in the dryer, and then I started to notice I was somehow losing hair pins....
My lint always came out pink when nearly all my clothing is dark. (I don't own anything pink or red at all) I think that they were dying my lint because they liked pink. So you see they are crazy little guys and if you are able to catch one please ask them for my pins back.
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@Poison_Girl (4150)
• United States
13 Jan 07
If I catch one, I will definitely ask them to give you your hairpins back. I've had a couple socks disappear, so if you catch them first, maybe you could ask them to give me my socks back? Thanks. :)
@kgwat70 (13388)
• United States
11 Jan 07
I always find the lint in my lint trap to be grey all the time. I have never seen blue in my dryers lint trap. Maybe it does have something to do with your jeans. I wonder why mine is grey all the time. What does make the lint color what it is? This is a interesting question.
1 person likes this
@Poison_Girl (4150)
• United States
11 Jan 07
Yeah, I guess mine is sometimes a bit on the grey-ish side, too. But it's usually more blue than anything. The weird things in life.
@Penguinsangel (3498)
• United States
13 Jan 07
lol This is funny.
I have never thought of it.
Mine is usually blue or grey...lol
I have no real answer to your question, but I have seen it too. lol
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