Wednesday, April 7, 2010

nancy drew & the mystery of the missing sock


ever wondered how you can start out with a pair of socks going into the laundry yet one sock always goes MIA when the dryer has been emptied?


everyone is quick to blame the dryer, since that was the last place that said missing sock was probably seen before vanishing forever.


a recent washer/dryer repair to our stacked unit, may have solved this mystery forever.
so put on your best nancy drew detective cap and come discover the cleverest now-you-see-it, now-you-don't trick of all time.
our wonderful kenmore stacked washer/dryer has been giving me grief for like the last 3 years. we've replaced the motor, timer, various belts and hoses but it always seems unhappy. and by unhappy, i mean it either runs forever or it overflows. neither of which i really like. so a repairman had to come over and the most recent issue: cycles that run for 3+ hours as the tub just fills then drains, fills then drains, fills then drains - all the live long day.
here's what was unearthed - socks that go missing most likely, ahem, "disappear" in the wash. probably in the cycle in which the water is drained from the tub. errant or little socks can get caught up in the flow of outgoing water and somehow manage to make it to the outside world via the drain hose. because who actually counts those wet socks going from washer into the dryer? no one. you automatically assume everything that went in, comes out and goes into the dryer. except that when everything is pulled from the dryer, voila, socks are missing.
elementary, dear watson, it's the washing machine, not the dryer that is responsible for those MIA socks and the poor, lost lonely mate left behind.
so to avoid separation issues in socks, invest in a zippered laundry bag (available at target, bed bath and beyond stores nationwide or make your own if you're supa dupa industrious/a decent seamperson) to hold all those socks and ferry them safely from washing machine to dryer.
or you can try coercing your socks to use the buddy system.

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