If socks could talk, they would have told us their sad stories! Though socks are one of those important attires we need in our daily life, we neglect them the most.
Caring a bit less for our socks doesn’t make them last longer. But it’s not that hard to take care of them. Once I had a drawer full of various socks. But after a few months, I noticed the number of socks is decreasing day by day! Then I tried to figure out the problem of why they are not lasting for long. After my research, I have noted a few techniques to make socks last longer. I will tell you about those in this blog.
Making the socks last longer
Here, I will tell you some tips and tricks about increasing the lifetime of your socks. Let’s get on to the topic now:
Why socks are important?
Do you ever think of going to your office or gym just in your shoes without socks? I am sure you never thought of that. This only answer describes the importance of socks.
Socks protect our feet from any blisters. They also prevent our feet from getting smelly inside our shoes. Leave those aside. Can you ever imagine a winter without your warm woolen socks? No, right?
When a small pair of socks is giving you so many comforts then it must be very important. We should not give a little less effort to wash socks properly.
Things you should do to increase your socks’ lifetime
If you are a gym guy or woman then you must know the effort to wash workout clothes. Taking a little extra care of your socks will take much less effort than that one. Here are some small tricks:
1. Do not dry clean your socks
It’s never a good idea to dry clean your socks. The dry cleaning process applies heat. That heat is not so good for socks. The heat will damage the elasticity of your socks. As a result, you may see your socks rolling down to your ankle and your socks are losing size and shape.
2. Wash with cold water
It’s always better to wash dirty clothes with hot or warm water. Detergents mixed with hot water work effectively on dirt. But this technique doesn’t go with socks. Like dry washing, hot water can damage the size, shape, and elasticity of your socks. I use hot water to wash leggings but never on my socks. It’s always a safer option to use cold water to wash them with your hands or in the washing machine.
3. Flip the socks inside out
Most of the sweat and dirt lying on the inside part of our socks. That’s because that part stays directly connected to our feet’ skin. So, turn the inside part out so that you may clean it properly.
4. Never use hard or industrial detergents
There are a lot of detergents available in the market. Before you buy some detergents to wash your men’s or women’s workout socks or regular socks, make sure they are regular detergents. Hard detergents or industrial detergents are not suitable for use at home for your day-to-day washings. They can damage the fabric of your socks.
5. Wash colorful socks separately
Washing all kinds of socks together is not a suitable option. Many times I used to wash my light color and bright color socks together. But there is a chance of discoloring of those bright socks. That color can get on to the light color socks and make the awful. Another thing, always wash your white socks separately from others. White socks will need you to soak them in the water for a long time. Other color cocks will not need that amount of time.
6. Don’t be harsh while washing
Sometimes we get too much harsh with our socks while washing them. We squeeze them too hard to get the extra water out. Sometimes we rub them hard to get rid of the dirt. We also don’t bother about the rotating speed of our washing machine while washing our socks in them. Getting too hard on our socks can damage the fabric. The fabric can shrink and sometimes it can tear from the excess effort.
7. Tie the same pair of socks
Well, that’s a great technique while washing a number of socks together. Just tie the upper part together and leave it in the machine or in the tub. You won’t have any difficulty matching the pairs.
8. Never use fabric softener
Fabric softener can be a great option for your other clothes but not for your socks. They can loosen the fabric and your socks will not hold onto your skin like before.
9. Never iron your socks
As I have told you before, heat is not good for your socks. So, never iron your socks. Almost every fabric used to make socks can get shrink in the heat.
10. Take care of your nails and heels
Often we see our socks tear at the front or at the heel. We can see our fingers popping out from the socks. Do you know the reason? The reason is our nails. Try to keep your nails short always.
Another point is the heel. The heel is the roughest point of our feet. Take care of your heel and keep it soft. Otherwise, no matter how hard you try to make your socks last longer, they will keep tearing from the heels.
11. Don’t use your socks as slippers
Socks are designed to wear it inside our shoes. If you use it as a slipper and walk around your house with it, it’s obvious it will not last for long.
How to maintain gym socks
Maintaining your gym socks is not different than your regular socks. Just keep the things in your mind that I described above. As the socks are for some special purposes, they need some special care too.
We sweat a lot at the gym than usual time. So, the socks get sweat and dirt quite extra than usual. While washing your gym socks, try to soak them for a little longer. You can use vinegar with your detergents to keep your gym socks smell-free.
How to make black cotton socks last longer
Black cotton socks are my all-time favorites. Just following the above tips can make them last longer. A little extra tip for you, never keeps them drying for long even in the sun. They take very little time to dry.
How to make wool socks last longer
Wool socks are our best friends in the winter. They keep our feet warm in the cold. As these socks are seasonal, there is a small technique that will help you to use them in the next winter also. Just add some fabric softener with your detergent and wash them. You must use it when you are washing the wool socks last time. After that wash, you are going to keep them in your closet for next winter. When you get them out the next winter, you are going to have them like a new pair.
But remember one thing, don’t use fabric softener in your regular washing.
Conclusion
Taking good care can make everything last longer. That’s also true for your socks. Being a little more conscious is all you need to be.
From your gyms to your office or even in your regular casual life, socks play a very important part. So, try to give a little extra effort to make them last longer and it will save you some money also.