OK ... The REAL Question of Life ... Your Socks Life

[Craig]

For me, one of life's quirky mysteries is where all the socks go.

You put them into the laundry, and they seem perfectly safe. You (or DW) bring them out of the dryer, and one has escaped. Where do they go?

I have a drawer full of socks who have lost their siblings, and I am greatly reluctant to throw them out ... because I know when I do, I'll find their brethren hiding somewhere in the house.

Sometimes I think I'll just have one drink too many, lose my head, toss the whole mess, and just go on a sock buying binge at Costco or Wal-Mart, and end this pain.


So, here is the real question of life ... how oh how do you keep your socks together in the laundry, and keep them from disappearing ... that is one from disappearing? There must be a better way.

[LeatherneckPA]

Don't worry about the ones that have disappeared, they have gone to a "better place". You need to worry about the ones that were "left behind".

[Outtahere]

I usually find that odd sock in a shirt sleeve or pant leg, clinging for dear life. Of course they only release the death grip they have at the most embarassing moment, like when you walk in the door at work or in line at the grocery store.

[cj]

You need to see the "dang dog" thread, it explains what happens to socks.

[grumpy]

I have solved this problem completely via the following strategy:

I buy only cheap white cotton socks at Walmart - 6 pairs for $6.87. I probably have at least 18 identical pairs. That is all that I wear unless we go out to dinner and I have to dress up. Since they are all the same, when they come out of the dryer I don't have to pair them up - just dump them in the drawer and pull out any two in the morning. If any of them escape to sock heaven, I don't notice. When any sock develops a hole or tear I just toss it. When the drawer starts looking depleted, I just buy another package at Walmart.

Grumpy

[justin]

I overheard a guy at the men's clothing store discussing his strategy with a sales clerk. His strategy is complete periodic replacement. Throw away all dress socks. Then, go buy a dozen or so pairs of identical navy or black dress socks (one color or the other - don't mix and match). Wear them for a few years until they all wear out and get too threadbare. Then throw them all away. Repeat process. This may increase your sock life cycle costs slightly, but it solves a lot of problems in the meantime.

[peggy]

At Wal-Mart, Target, or other fine stores, you can purchase mesh laundry bags for about $3 each.

I toss all my socks in a bag, wash them in the bag, then toss the bag in the drawer. One bag holds about seven to ten pairs of socks, depending on the style of sock.

I keep two bags, one holding currently clean socks in the drawer, the other holding the to-be-washed socks.

[BigMoneyJim]

I do basically what grumpy and justin said. I haven't been socks shopping in a while, but I'm starting to notice holes at the back of my ankles in successive socks, so it's about time to go sock shopping again. If I can't find the same kind I'll start on a new batch.

I have white socks of the same type, and instead of dress socks I switched to black crew socks. I also have some gray and beige socks from buying several multi-packs.

I think I still have some dress socks around for really fancy occasions, but I don't know if I still have a matching pair.

Not long ago I discovered a rat's nest inside a wall while repairing a plumbing leak. The nest was made almost entirely of socks. The rats had been killed off previously with generous batches of poison in the attic. (Stunk way worse and longer than I thought...next time I'm using traps.) So there's one other place socks can go.

On a similar note (not rat-related, though), my aunt was over yesterday and managed to misplace her knit cap before leaving. We looked around where she was sitting...she thought she might have dropped it on the ground. I thought of the dog and looked in the dog's favorite run-and-hide-to-chew-on-something spot, and sure enough the hat was right there. The dog has one such place inside and one such place outside.

peggy: Do the socks dry well in the bag? Do you wash the bag of socks along with other clothes to fill up the washer & dryer?

[Sarah in SC]

A rat's nest....made entirely of socks??
Thanks for adding a new nightmare to my evenings, BMJ!

[Craig]

Quote:

Not long ago I discovered a rat's nest inside a wall while repairing a plumbing leak. The nest was made almost entirely of socks.

Quote:

I thought of the dog and looked in the dog's favorite run-and-hide-to-chew-on-something spot, and sure enough the hat was right there. The dog has one such place inside and one such place outside.

Ah ... part of the mystery is taking shape ... perhaps this could be a fascinating new episode of CSI? Thanks, BMJ.

Quote:

At Wal-Mart, Target, or other fine stores, you can purchase mesh laundry bags for about $3 each.

peggy, I'm trying that approach ... bought one, put it in the laundry, and ... it didn't come back. Asked DW, and she said "it's down there somewhere". Hope I find it ... otherwise, I know if I use the bag approach, I may be sending all of my socks on a suicide mission. I'll try buying a second bag, and see if we can change our laundry "processes" to keep track of the bags ...


I like the idea of just standardizing the whole thing ... standard blue, brown, black and white socks, and tossing out the current mess.

This is more challenging than investing ...

[TromboneAl]

What Grumpy and Justin said. One set of white socks, one of black. For a while I had DW on board, and we'd both use the same white socks, but now she wants more cotton in them.

I also do some darning, that can increase the lifetime by about 50%.

[rs0460a]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TromboneAl One set of white socks, one of black.

And if I'm in a party mood, I'll wear one of each ...

[bow-tie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grumpy ...When any sock develops a hole or tear I just toss it... Grumpy

No way, man. If I wear out the bottom, I flip the sock over... once it's truly hashed... I cut it up and use it for a shop rag.

[CyclingInvestor]

All my socks are from 12 packs at Costco. When they get old and
develop a hole, they have one of two fates.

The lucky ones becomes wine bottle sleeves. I have a stack of 48
18" long, 4" terra cotta pipe segments piled in my closet as a wine
cellar. The socks help insulate and protect the bottles.

The unlucky ones become dog toys, filled with a tennis ball or kong
and quickly ripped open by the dogs, then tied together as tug toys
until shredded a hour or two later. My Border Collies understand toy
socks vs regular socks, my Leonberger is still learning (but socks are
cheap).

[LeatherneckPA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bow-tie No way, man. If I wear out the bottom, I flip the sock over... once it's truly hashed... I cut it up and use it for a shop rag.

My youngest brother used to wear his sweatshirt forwards until it got too dirty, then he'd turn it backwards. When it got dirty there too he'd turn it inside out and repeat. Not a slob, an eight year-old trying to save Mommy from washing his laundry. We STILL bust him about it, 30 years later.

[Goonie]

I wear white cotton ankle high socks 99% of the time WHEN I wear socks.....prefer to be barefoot or in sandals. I have a couple pairs of white cotton 'tube' socks to wear when I don w*rkboots....which is very seldom.

I also have a pair of black socks for "dress-up"......which is VERY, VERY seldom....almost never!!! (for me dressed-up is a pair of clean jeans and a sport shirt....I don't do the noose necktie thing anymore...nor suits or so-called "sport coats".....to me a sport coat has a ball team or nascar emblem on it!)

I keep the socks in a small stack, and I just grab two.....they're all the same....heck I can even find a matched pair in the dark! The black socks are in a drawer....no, maybe still in the bag....heck I never dress-up, so I don't know where the h*ll the black socks are and frankly I don't care!!!

[cute fuzzy bunny]

I learned from reading some posts about front loading washers on another web site that the rubber cowling that seals the door on my model can hold up to four socks and keep them there indefinitely. Sure enough, two of gabes socks were hanging out in there.

The rest of them I find inside the sleeves of sweatshirts or other shirts, where they may periodically drop out onto the floor, automatically becoming laundry again. "Now where the hell did THIS sock come from?".

Such is the circle of life...

[W2R]

This morning as I was folding my laundry and putting it away, once again I found all 7 pairs of socks and none were missing. I thought of this thread.

I just never lose my socks, now that I have replaced my bargain socks with Thorlos Trekking socks. They are so heavy that you just can't lose them in the wash. Socks can't be too warm or too cushioned for my feet, so I adore them (although some/most people might not like socks this heavy).

If I liked lighter socks, I'd use the mesh bag method from an earlier post in this thread. That was a great idea!

[Martha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cute Fuzzy Bunny I learned from reading some posts . . . . on another web site

Cheating on us now?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

My wife wears these:

http://www.worldssoftest.com/home.php

Swears there is no substitute.

I wear white socks from costco.