Saltwater is obviously wet. And we eat things with salt in them all the time. So why can’t we drink saltwater?

It isn’t really because of germs (though that’d also be a valid reason). It’s mainly because…well, it’s salty. Sodium is the main element in salt, but salt isn’t inherently bad for you. It’s actually an electrolyte that’s vital in helping your body regulate blood volume & other functions). Whatever salt your body doesn’t need gets filtered out through the kidneys in the excretion process, which requires water. That’s why, after eating a big bag of potato chips, you probably feel super thirsty. Your brain says “drink more water” so that your kidneys can flush out all that extra salt.

While seawater has both salt & water, it’s too salty for your body to process using just the water that’s in it. Seawater’s salt concentration, or salinity, is around 35 grams per liter. Meanwhile, your blood’s salinity level is only about 9 grams per liter. So, seawater is 4 times saltier than your blood. So, if you were to drink saltwater, that huge increase in salt would shift the water that you need inside your cells to your blood, which quickly affects how the brain functions. It can actually cause death.

Essentially, the sodium & water inside your cells have to be balanced with the sodium & water outside your cells. But, when seawater sodium enters your bloodstream, your cells will try to maintain the balance by dumping their water into your bloodstream. Then, your kidneys will use that water to excrete as much sodium as possible, which is what can cause extreme dehydration.

What if you accidentally swallow some seawater during an ocean swim? While that can bring on mild dehydration (including dry mouth, dizziness, fatigue, etc.), you can counteract the effects by drinking fresh water. But, if you were to get stranded at sea with no fresh water in your vicinity, drinking seawater would absolutely be a terrible call, worse than drinking nothing at all. Gulping saltwater would actually cause a much more severe, life-threatening form of dehydration. In that survival situation, rainwater is what you should look for. Or you could also look for fish eyes, which contain low enough salt levels that they could actually help hydrate you, as would the flesh of fish, birds, and turtles. (So, maybe just avoid this situation by keeping your head above water & your feet on solid ground.)

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

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You’ve probably had questions about your clothes before, like “Why are shirt buttons on different sides for men & women? (Because, historically, women didn’t dress themselves.) Or why do my jeans have a tiny pocket? (To hold your pocket watch, duh.) But, while both of those points are relics of a different time, nowadays if you look at your sneakers, there’s a commonly-ignored detail that can actually be useful in your day-to-day life.

Most sneakers have an extra set of holes above the laces that most times go unused. You may have noticed that the holes don’t exactly line up with the rest of the laces, which indicates they’re for a special purpose. Now, in most situations, ignoring this pair of holes is totally fine, but if you’re tying up your shoes before a rigorous run or hike, you should take advantage of them.

Those extra holes actually create what’s called a “heel lock”. You start by taking one lace & poking it through the hole directly above it to create a loop. Then, do the same with the lace on the other side. Next, take the ends of both laces & pull them through the opposite loops, before tightening the laces by pulling them down rather than up. Then, once you’ve created the heel lock, just secure it with a regular bow tie.

This tightens the opening of your shoe around your ankle, which helps prevent your heel from sliding against the back of your sneaker as you run. It also stops your toe from hitting the front of your shoe. It’s especially handy for long runs, walks, or other activities that can often end with heel blisters & bruised toes. And, even if you aren’t slipping on your shoes for exercise, lacing up those extra holes can make a loose-fitting sneaker more comfortable.

Of course, the heel lock trick only works if your laces stayed tied, which even the most expertly-tied knot can’t guarantee.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

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Whenever you set a washing machine for a specific load type, the machine will usually tell you how much time it’ll take to complete the wash cycle. Yet, while it may say 50 minutes, an hour on & the washer will still be spinning out before finally signaling that it’s done about five minutes later. Why does this happen? Where’s the disconnect?

Well, washing machine timers sometimes conflict with the high-efficiency features like load sensing, which is supposed to gauge the size of the load so that it uses only as much water as necessary. And that amount may ultimately affect how much time the cycle needs, so that it makes the timer seem overly optimistic.

There are some other reasons why timers may not be able to keep their promise. Washing machines can have to use more water to balance out a lighter or uneven load. For instance, when you wash heavy items like jeans with lighter items like shirts, the weight & distribution of the load can confuse the washer a bit. The adjustments it has to make take both water & extra time to complete. Then, when the spin cycle attempts to flush water so that your clothes are ready for the dryer, the machine might go longer if its senses that the load is still too wet.

Thankfully, though, all these reasons for the washer taking more time are so that your clothes get as clean as possible. Now, if you want to help the washer along, try to wash similar items together & not mix & match light apparel with heavy-duty clothing. Overloading the washer can also cause extended wash times.

So, with all that said, it’s probably better to think of a washing machine’s cycle timer as more of an estimate than a solemn vow.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning