Where does belly button lint come from?

Dear Cecil:

This is a 100 percent serious question, and I want the straight dope. Every night when I'm undressing for bed I stand in front of the mirror and wonder where belly button lint comes from. This is no joke.

—John W., Washington, D.C.

Dear John:

What makes you think you have to urge me to be serious, Jojo? Your navel is one of the few places on your body where perspiration has a chance to accumulate before evaporating. Lint from your clothing, cottons especially, adheres to the wet area and remains after the moisture departs.

— Cecil Adams

Send questions for Cecil Adams to: cecil@chicagoreader.com

Send comments about this website to: webmaster@straightdope.com

Advertise on the Straight Dope! Your direct line to thou- sands of the smartest, hippest people on the planet, plus a few total dipsticks.

Publishers - interested in subscribing to the Straight Dope? Write to: sdsubscriptions@cln.com.

Copyright 1996-2010 Creative Loafing Media, Inc. All rights reserved. No material contained in this site may be republished or reposted without express written permission. The Straight Dope is a registered trademark of Creative Loafing Media, Inc.

Other Creative Loafing Media, Inc. sites:

Creative Loafing Atlanta | Creative Loafing Charlotte | Chicago Reader | Creative Loafing Sarasota | Creative Loafing Tampa | Washington City Paper