The Brilliant Hack That Will Make It So You Never Lose A Sock In The Laundry Again
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Anytime you finish a load of laundry, you likely feel accomplished which you definitely should, you chore-tackling boss. However, while celebrating the fact that you've washed your underwear the right way and kept up with washing your bras frequently and now have clean items to wear, you might notice that you've lost a few random socks. While the fact that socks can disappear when tossed into the laundry is a well-known annoyance, it turns out it's more widespread than you might have imagined.
When Samsung conducted a survey regarding the specific situation, they found that people living in Britain tend to lose around 1.3 socks every month. This means that around 84 million socks are lost in the United Kingdom monthly. After attempting to determine the reasons behind the disappearing socks, those behind the study noted that accidentally adding them to the wrong load, pairing them with the wrong partner, and getting lost behind or under furniture were common causes. On top of that, your washing machine might be stealing your socks. James Darmstadt, a quality engineer at GE Appliances, told Today that clothing can fall into a gap in the machine's gasket. To see if this has happened to your socks, Darmstadt explained what you should do, saying, "While cleaning, feel the surface and look for any tears or holes. Tears, slits, [and] holes would be bad. This could lead to disappearing socks as well as water leaks."
Of course, you can also use a handy-dandy hack so that you don't lose your socks in the first place.
A mesh bag can keep your socks from disappearing
Unless you happen to love wearing mismatched socks or are always eager to turn the solo item into a sock monkey, then you'd likely appreciate having a way to keep your socks from going missing. To do so, all you need is a mesh bag, according to Better Homes & Gardens. Something that you might already be using to keep your bras and underwear from being harmed in the washing machine, they can also keep your socks together during the entire washing and drying process.
While that alone is a fabulous tip that's worthy of sharing with any friends or family who adore a good hack, BH&G also suggests attaching a mesh bag to your laundry hamper so that socks can be added to it as soon as they need to be washed. Finally, you don't want to put too many socks in the bag, per Lifehacker. If you do, then they won't be able to move around and the soapy water in the washing machine won't be able to fully saturate each sock. Instead, ensure that the clothing isn't packed too tightly into the bag. If you're not sure about how much is too much, apparently less is a better bet in this case.
Although this might have you adding a mesh bag to your shopping list, there's something else that you can use to keep your socks together that you may already have at home.
A safety pin can also prevent lost socks
If you don't already have a mesh bag at hand and don't have the time or ability to pick one up before laundry day rolls around again, then you might want to see if you have any safety pins around the house. If you do, then you can use them to pin your socks together before you toss them in the wash, according to Taste of Home. To take full advantage of this hack, you'll want to be sure to use stainless steel safety pins that won't rust and, in turn, ruin your socks.
Keeping a stock of safety pins by your laundry hamper can make it easy for you to take your socks off and immediately pin them before you toss them in the dirty laundry pile. This means that they'll never get the chance to become separated and lost. When you've done both the washing and the drying, then you can take the safety pin out of your socks before you fold them (or roll them) and put them away. On the other hand, Taste of Home also points out that you can keep them pinned while they're in your drawer so that they'll still be together whenever you want to wear them.
As for what to do with your socks that have already lost their other half, you might want to embrace your crafty skills by getting on those socks monkeys.