Wet Shirt

October 12, 2005 12:05 PM

Does a wet shirt dry faster on a line or while you are wearing it?

I got caught in a torential downpour on the way to work today. I believe my shirt will dry faster while I wear it. My associate insists I should hang it up to dry and wear a t-shirt. What do you think?

posted by Joey Michaels to clothing, beauty, & fashion (11 answers total)

Your associate is right. Your shirt, while you are wearing it will be losing moisture to both the air [on the outside] and you [on the inside]. You will have a tendency to stay damp, and thus will keep moisture next to the shirt, making it slower to dry.
posted by jessamyn at 12:19 PM on October 12, 2005

But what about body temperature vs. air temperature? You're a heater!
posted by smackfu at 12:26 PM on October 12, 2005

If you aren't moving very fast then I guess that wearing it is slower than hanging it up. However, if you for example ride a bicycle wearing wet clothes they'll dry in no time.

This technique is quite good when out on a bicycle tour, after you wash your clothes you can put one set on and ride for a while until they're dry, switch to the next set and repeat the procedure.
posted by rycee at 12:39 PM on October 12, 2005

body temperature is better, but as rycee points out, only while moving. of course hanging it in a humid place is slower than wearing it. put it in the photocopy machine or something
posted by yonation at 12:57 PM on October 12, 2005

Photocopy machine! Genius!
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:28 PM on October 12, 2005

Alhough, (flashback to my Mom shouting at me), wearing wet clothes is BAD for you. There's logic to this too: the heat the water in your shirt absorbs lowers your body temperature and messes with important things going on inside you
posted by pantsrobot at 2:23 PM on October 12, 2005

I disagree. In my experience, unless the ambient temperature is relatively warm, your body heat causes wet clothes to dry much quicker when you wear them. Even when not moving. But yeah, it is quite uncomfortable to do so.
posted by randomstriker at 3:27 PM on October 12, 2005

As it turns out, I wore my shirt and he hung his to dry. Now, several hours later, I am wearing a dry shirt and his is still wet. Of course, I am concerned that I have messed with important things going on inside me.

Thanks for all the responses. I think, perhaps, the answer to this question might be at least partially dependent on weather.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:34 PM on October 12, 2005

Closure. I love it!
posted by herc at 7:54 PM on October 12, 2005

How hot is it outside?

In tropical countries like mine, the heat outside would probably do the job quicker.

As pantsrobot points out, keeping your wet clothes on is not advisable.
posted by madman at 3:54 AM on October 13, 2005

Oh come on, people, are we all a bunch of hypochondriacs? So long as you don't go into hypothermia, there is NOTHING wrong with keeping wet clothes on. I fail to see the difference between that and being in the swimming pool for several hours. It's just damn uncomfortable, that's all.
posted by randomstriker at 5:01 AM on October 13, 2005