Friday, January 8, 2010

Unfathomable Laundry Magic

Laundry Mathematics has always baffled me. In fact, for long, I did not even realise that there was a strange Math associated with Laundry. I had taken its puzzling nature for granted, until a chance comment at a blog pointed out to me that I was not the only one in the tangles of finding my laundry baskets full every day, despite running them through the machine daily. (And I used to wonder if I am washing the same, washed clothes over and over again?)

After months of pondering over the problem that could well have made Mr.Einstein pull out a lot of hair from his unkempt head, I figured out a few things. The number of washloads generated is not directly proportional to the number of people in the house. It is close to an exponent of the number - and then some. I have not been able to unravel the mystery of this ratio, and however much I try, I am unable to figure out how and from where these dresses appear and hop into the laundry basket when I am not looking.

Once I resigned myself to the laundry multiplying and dividing itself to its fancy, the corollary made its inevitable appearance. The dry clothes that lie around waiting to be folded. The least I would expect was the number of such clothes to be in direct proportion to the ones that are washed?

But where, oh where did I go wrong?

5 comments:

  1. Hilarious..i need to ask my mom to read this :)

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  2. Thinking of starting a washing powder shop in front of your flat...should make me rich :D And, keep working on the formula, never know...

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  3. it isn't math that is the problem - it is usage. when you are not the one doing the wash, the choice to hang it back up,or toss it - is always toss it. didn't wear it, but left it hanging on the back of the chair for days - toss it. wore it for an hour before changing to go out - toss it.

    rotate the laundry responsibilities and you will be surprised at the drop in laundry piles. :)

    funny stuff...

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  4. Karthi: Thanks! :) Also for letting me know offline that your Mom so well relates to this ;)

    AN: I have a better suggestion. Be my housekeeper. You may earn more :P

    Kim: So right! I used to toss a great deal when I wasn't responsible for the washing. Now? Not so much. Rotating is a good suggestion, but does not seem likely any time this century :(

    BK Chowla: Thanks a lot for saying that!

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