"Am I going mad or what? Can clothes weigh more unfolded?" Topic

I can't believe this; in fact its so bizarre that I didn't know where to post it….but here goes.
I went on an interstate training course and my partner ironed and folded all my clothes for me and packed my suitcase like the angel she is. My suitcase weighed 15.7kg at the airport. Whilst there for a week I wore stuff, put it back in the suitcase etc, bought a couple of lightweight gifts. On leaving, my suitcase was 16.4kgs. I get home, partner says did you have to pay any excess for baggage and I said "No, it was only 700 grams heavier".
Then she says "Thats because you wore your clothes and they weren't folded up."
I said"How can the same clothes weigh more unfolded than folded?"
She says "They do, because the air and sweat etc makes it heavier".
Anyway I gave up and had a chuckle – until I went to work and mentioned it to two workmates, one of whom laughed and the other said, "no thats right". I then took a strawpoll of the office and a lot of people say its true! I just don't believe this, am I going mad? I put the weight down to the lightweight gifts but no, I'm wrong. How is it possible for my clothes to gain 700grams weight (i.e. nearly 3/4 litre of sweat) just by wearing them??
AAAAAAgggggghhh. Even as I write this I can hear people arguing over this…..unbelievable.

Scales have some error, and they only read to 0.1kg. So you could easily have 200g there or even more if one is badly calibrated. Your lightweight gifts could be another 100-200g.

That leaves 300-400g in sweat and tears. Not a lot for 10kgs of clothes.

I don't think folding and unfolding makes a difference. But wearing the clothes definitely can. Especially when compared to freshly laundered and ironed.

Actually, it is true. There is a Science experiment you can do where you weigh a balloon deflated, blow it up and then reweigh. Because of the air now enclosed by the balloon it weighs more. It is, in this case, a cheat – the extra weight can be accounted for by saliva now on the balloon – and if your luggage was in a case the amount of air in the case will be the same irrespective of whether the clothes are folded or not. If the case was to enclose a bigger volume, it would weigh more.

The next thing to consider is the fact that you have worn the clothes. as such, they may be slightly damp through sweat and salt, also a bit grimy from attached dirt.

So clothes coming home will weigh more, but not if carried in a fixed volume container it will not be because of them being folded!

Yeah, it's the dirt and sweat.

Remember that when she ironed the clothes, she dried them out quite a bit from nominal.
-Kle.

Good point there. It doesn't even have to be sweat, just moisture absorbed from the air.

My goodness, I am going mad, I just can't get my head around the whole idea! I live in the tropics (Darwin) and went down to a cold city (Melbourne) so I didn't sweat (in fact I reckon I froze)and was in a conference all week so didn't pick up any dirt. I guess I will stick to rolling dice (badly)rather than try and understand! Mind you I definitely won't tell her she is right; that would be really rubbing salt into my wounds….

cheers
Jon.

Tell her she was right and that you'd never realised.

Never, ever, ever refuse the chance for gaining brownie points.

Steve P

I live in the tropics (Darwin) and went down to a cold city (Melbourne) so I didn't sweat (in fact I reckon I froze)and was in a conference all week so didn't pick up any dirt.

People sort of… leak. Oils, salt water, other kinds of goo, in small amounts, all the time. If we didn't, then we wouldn't be detectable by scent (a dog can identify you that way, no matter how clean you are), and we'd never have to bathe as long as we didn't move and were in a temperature-controlled environment.

The air is full of dirt and water all the time. You don't have to be digging a hole to pick up some dirt.
-Kle.

Are you sure that on the return journey you were wearing the exact same clothes as on the outward journey? Otherwise some of the weight difference might be because the t-shirt, underpants and socks you wore on the outward journey weigh more than the t-shirt, underpants and socks you wore on the return journey (i.e. lighter ones had been replaced by heavier ones in the suitcase).

Also, a "cold" city may have enough moisture in the air that your clothes were gaining water weight just walking around. It doesn't have to be a visible fog to leave condensation on your clothes.

silly me, I relented and allowed the angel to read this; its a pyrhic victory I suppose. She gets the satisfaction of saying "I told you so" though I see nothing definitive above…:) I get the satisfaction of being made a fuss of for admitting defeat. Reading Sun Tzu helps in relationships as well after all I suppose…

cheers
Jon.