Chez Chesler

If you leave the car windows closed on a sunny day, it gets very hot inside. Suppose you have to dry something inside the car -- for instance the seats (because you left the windows open and it rained) or a towel. Will it dry faster if you leave the windows closed, so it gets very hot, or will it dry faster if the windows are open, so that from time to time there is a breeze to put dryer air over the wet thing? Similarly, if you're pre-soaking laundry, and you put a capful of laundry detergent in the washing machine and some water, will it be more effective with less water, so the stains are exposed to a higher concentration of detergent, or will it be more effective if the tub is full, so there is more water to carry away the dirt? I finally figured out that if I put a capful of detergent in the tub and add some water, then I won't have to worry about putting detergent on top of my clothes and making bleached spots when I come down with an armful of laundry. (I hear they have a new invention called a laundry basket, but that's too high-tech for me.) I've been pre-filling the washing machine with cold water. After it sits there for a while, it gets warm. Is that cooling my basement at all, because the heat is coming from somewhere? But if the lid is open, is the water evaporating and making the basement too damp?

Labels: conundrum, quality, quantity