h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Two questions here really, the first is WHY at the end of the day when I get undressed, do I find a small wad of lint nestled comfortably in my belly botton?

The other question is of course, no matter what color clothes I have been wearing that day, the lint is ALWAYS blueish! WHY????

Is it really because of Jerry the Belly Button Elf? (Ren and Stimpy viewers)

Help me please...

Mez...

No one seems to understand the ever increasing role of elves in todays society, for instance, who do you think turns all those cogs in your computer ? Why it's frank of course !

I understand the problem and was completly plexed by this myself, until I met the elf which opened the world to me. Its to contain inner warmth from leaking out, and Blue is the colour of choice by the head guy, it may change soon as they are having a vote to change the colour as they see fit!

me thinks some of you have been at the same substance the an associate of mine once found in his belly button, a lump of dope that he'd dropped the night before. Hence foward he was known as blim belly (a blim or blim at the time refering to a small amount of dope)

CH

PS I of course never partook

I dont know why it gets there, but the reason it's blueish is because of sweat. Sweat has a kind of bleaching/dyeing effect on the fabric if left in contact for long enough (eg a day).

On those grounds my white T-Shirt should gradualy turn blue in hot weather.

Well, not really. Your T-Shirt is absorbing sweat, but it is evaporating. In your navel the fluff is effectively in a "bath" of sweat, and hence has more time to become bleached.

God this is disgusting.

a further query.

is it true that belly button lint has a reddish hue in the southern hemisphere?

den

Good theory, but no, I am in fact writing to you from the southern hemisphere, and having just checked my belly button, found that it is indeed blue still. (funny, wonder if it has anything to do with this blue shirt I am wearing.)

Thanks for that sweat thing though, that sounds feasible. But will it turn any color fluff to blue?

If i was to check for lint at say midday, what color would it be then? (mental note, perform experiment tomorow)

HEY, has anyone come up with a reasonable explanation of how it gets there? comeon!!!

Just out of interest, do any of u females suffer from BBL? (belly button lint!)

mez...

I Can't say that I do suffer from Belly Button Lint, I sometimes may get an odd day where I may achieve some form of fluff in the navel but not on a regular basis.
May be it is due to the material of your clothes, wool & linen may produce more lint value than say cotton and polyester?
It would alos depend on whether you have an innie or outie?

R

I was under the impression that our world was mostly run by gnomes...eg - underpants gnomes, gnomes that steal one sock from the washing machine, gnomes that move the keys on your keyboard fro brief moments, making you do huge typos.

If not, maybe the elves and gnomes work together, and if this is so do gnomes do certain jobs and elves others, or do they compete in the job market? Are Elves suppier to Gnomes, or vice-cersa, or are they equal to one another?

and another thing...
Is it just me, or do the majority of men have outie belly buttons, and the majority of women innies? Or have I (like with so many other things) imagined it all?

I think you've imagined that one. I have an innie, and I'm a bloke.

Anyway, the theory that the sweat bleaches the lint - why does this make it blue? Surely any bleaching effect would make it paler, and eventually white(ish)?

When I say bleach, I dont think I really mean bleach. Its more a kind of dyeing process. I cant remember the technical term, I just know that its sweat which makes it blue. (And no, it doesnt matter what you are wearing, whether its a blue shirt or not).

Hooloovoo

PS Im a bloke, and I have an innie.

here's the conundrum, placed in a different context: navel piercings are one of the more difficult to heal, for the sole reason that they are constantly in contact with your (no not your SPECIFIC) article of lower clothing. perhaps the constant friction (added to the "sweat-dye" theory) causes bits to dwell in that little cavern.

i also have never had much of a navel lint problem. perhaps a warm soak in the tub would do well!

i'm another bloke with an innie

i'm another bloke with an innie, and oooh look at that lovely ball of blue/grey fabric fibres!

I'm yet another bloke with an innie, and my BBF (Belly Button Fluff - "lint" is just too American for my tastes) is usually blue, HOWEVER...

Every now and then, I manage to end up with a rather tasteful green shade of BBF. Now I don't own any green garments so why the occassional different shade?

Is it just me? Is it something I've eaten? Or have the elves voted for that coluor change after all?

I'm blue as well, but there may be evidence (a lot) for the red southern hemisphere breed (Fluffus bellybutonus australis) at http://www.feargod.net/fluff.html

maybe theres something wrong with me but I have never suffered from BBF.
also, for those who have outies, where would it get caught??

I hate to add this bit, but it seems to me if it is an acumulation of fibres from through out the day, wouldnt there be a lot more than just the fabric bits in the fluff/lint?(ie dirt, dead skin, the occasional dead dust mite)