Why do my pockets turn inside out in the dryer?

[James William Hall]

Right up there with Dark Matter is the observation that the pockets in my sweatpants turn inside out in the dryer. My go-to guy is ChatGBT and he said: "The pocket openings getting caught on the drum edges will not directly cause them to turn inside out. Instead, the pocket linings can get pushed out and become inverted due to the tumbling and spinning action of the dryer. This can happen when the fabric of the sweatpants is heavier than the lining of the pockets, causing the pockets to turn inside out and the linings to get pushed out." What do you think?

 

[mcastillo356]

Hi, @James William Hall, I am not native, I ain't got background on Dark Matter, but first of all, wellcome.
I reply because your post reminds me about a memory of my childhood, when I was around fifteen, at school : nobody used to talk to him, a mature guy that have been student, a brilliant one, and tried to argue with anyone who approached him, that inside really meant outside, and vice versa. I was one of the few that talked with him. I actually made a work about his other wish : to create a european rugby league as an alternative to football (soccer), the only sport played whenever we had a break from class.
Hi again!

 

[Tom.G]

I don't know the answer, but you might try an experiment:
Turn the pockets inside-out BEFORE putting in the dryer. Do they end up where they 'should' be?

Cheers,
Tom
p.s. I have not noticed this with blue-jeans (denim, canvas), which is also heavier than the pocket material.

 

[James William Hall]

Tom, Only the pockets on my sweatpants and lounging pants turn inside-out. I will try two experiments: 1. I will turn the pockets inside-out first, as you suggested. 2. I will turn the whole sweatpants inside-out. I'll let you know how the experiments turn out. As an aside, the pocket material is actually lighter than the rest of the pants.

 

[jtbell]

I bet the washing machine turns the pockets inside out while looking for socks to eat.

 

[Astronuc]

I don't know the answer, but you might try an experiment:
Turn the pockets inside-out BEFORE putting in the dryer. Do they end up where they 'should' be?

Or turn the pants inside out, which some recommend.

My wife pulls the pockets out to get out the lint. And she sometimes finds money.

 

[James William Hall]

Pocket mystery solved. The pockets in the sweatpants are left inside as in normal use before putting inside the washing machine. The pockets are turned inside out in the washer--not the dryer. Given that the pocket material is thinner than the pants material it must be that hydraulic forces inside the legs during agitation force the pockets to inch their way out. As for money in the pockets, I wonder what would happen if there were coins in the pockets before washing equal to the difference in mass between the pocket material and pants material. Wife probably should not do this experiment.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Does the effect reverse in the Southern Hemisphere?

 

[DaveC426913]

Does the effect reverse in the Southern Hemisphere?

OK, that made me actually LOL.

 

[James William Hall]

The effect of the southern hemisphere does effect the Coriolis force when the water moves but laying the sweatpants into the drum with the leg opening opposite the way we did in the northern hemisphere will result in the same effect. It’s the tangential force on the leg opening which, we know, is a function of the radius of the drum. Ergo, a smaller washer will result in the pockets staying put. No worries, I have chatgbt working on the math for the disbelievers.

 

[DaveC426913]

Hall's Left Hand Rule of Laundry Pants Pockets.