There's A Scientific Reason Your Socks Always Go Missing In The Wash
Finally! Scientists have discovered why all our dastardly socks seem to mysterious vanish in the wash.
It's estimated that we lose more than 15 socks each year, according to a study carried out by Samsung.
The research, which involved surveying 2,000 people in the UK, claims that the epidemic could result in 1,264 lost socks over a lifetime.
That adds up to a mega $3,700. (Yeah, NOW you're paying attention.)
Samsung bods have pinned it down to two causes:
1. Complexity Of The Wash Load
That's the way we divide up our wash. It's based on whites, colors and different temperatures. Many socks seem to walk away when we prepare the wash.
2. The Drying Phase
It's simple when you think about it: Socks fall behind radiators and furniture when we hang them up to dry.
But Samsung has even figured out an equation for this.
Sock loss index = (L+C)-(P x A)
The higher the figure, the higher the likelihood of losing socks. For the truly diligent, this formula can also be adapted to work out the probability of losing a sock in a single week by using a calibrated version. It uses a statistical modeling software that adds constants.
Prob = 0.38+(0.005 x L)+(0.0012 x C)-(0.0159 x P x A)3
L = Laundry size
This is calculated by multiplying the number of people in the household (p) by the frequency of washes in a week (f).
C = Washing complexity
This is calculated by adding how many types of wash (t) households do in a week (darks + whites), and multiplying that by the number of socks washed in a week (s).
P = The positivity toward doing laundry
This is measured on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "strongly dislike doing clothes washing," and 5 being "strongly enjoy doing clothes washing."
A = Degree of attention
This is the sum of how many of these things you do at the start of each wash: check pockets, unroll sleeves, turn clothes the right way and unroll socks.
Citations: Samsung
