I hate folding socks. I hate doing a laundry load of whites and ending up with a pile of mismatched socks that have to be sorted up and paired together. There are always extra socks (or missing ones, depending on how you look at it) and it’s rare that you match every sock to its mate and end up with a perfect pile of pairs. And since socks wear out eventually after a while, there always seems to be one or two that need to be tossed out.
And then I developed The Sock Program.
The Sock Program eliminates all of these laundry problems by forcing all of your socks to match each other, and to wear evenly. But how does it work, you ask? Let me illustrate with these simple steps:
- Throw away* all of your typical, everyday socks (keep the special occasion ones)
- Purchase 12-18 pairs of new socks, ALL of which are in one (or two) style(s).**
- Wear your new socks as needed.
- When the socks are beginning to show signs of wear and need to be replaced, return to #1.
Now why is this a good plan?
Fewer choices: When you do laundry, all of your socks will be the same one (or two) style(s), and will be very easy to match up with each other. You can grab ANY TWO socks from the pile and they will match! You will never have more than one (or two) orphaned socks with no pair! The difference this makes in laundry folding time is unbelievable.
Consistent wear: Because you purchased all of the socks at the same time, they will all have even wear. You’ll never have to search to find a “new” sock to match with a “new” one, or an “old” with an “old”. They’ll all look the same, all the time.
I’ve been using The Sock Program for more years than I can remember. I love it and will never go back. I realize this won’t work for everyone. If your sock selection is pretty boring (like mine), it will work well. But if you love to have lots of different colors/styles of socks (like Jo does!), you can’t do this. If you’ve got kids (especially boys!) who tend to lose socks like crazy, this might just be the help you need.
* I highly recommend that you wear the socks one last time before throwing them away. Then instead of tossing them in the hamper, toss them in the trash. Why throw away clean socks?
** I buy “Hanes Her Way” brand — 12 pairs of crew socks
15 comments so far:
Hi..just a quick note..i use the leftover socks for cleaning/dusting.. then i usually chuck them out! if i keep them..i used a perm marker, and mark the foot..so i know not to worry about matching it up..
My husband uses the white cotton ones for waxing his car and motorcycle. (better in the garage than in the house!)
What a great idea, Kim! I’m going to start saving some of mine when I go through the next batch and let my husband have them for garage rags. I love the idea of marking them with a marker… that way you KNOW they’re not to be worn again.
Thanks for the comment. We hope to hear from you again.
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing (and BTW I love your website – so much useful & interesting info!
Thanks for the kind words, Becky! I’m glad you are enjoying the site. We love to get comments, so keep ‘em coming!
This is related to your sock idea. Once my son got old enough (and his feet got big enough) I had trouble telling the difference between his socks and those belonging to my hubby. My son’s socks are slightly smaller than my hubby’s, so I was constantly holding them up and comparing the size. Last time I purchased a package of socks (A 12 pack of athletic socks with the grey toe and heel) for both of them, I took a liner brush and my acrylic paint to make a colored “stitching line” across the toe of my hubby’s socks. It has made matching them up so much easier. I also fold my hubby’s socks completely into themselves and leave the toes of my son’s socks sticking out. That way when I empty the basket upstairs I can tell at a glance who they belong to! When my youngest son gets older, I’ll have to be painting the toes of his socks a different color!! I tried using a marker to put my oldest son’s name on the toe of his socks when he was younger, but I got a big “Gee Mom!” with the accompanying eye-roll. He was apalled to think about the other kids seeing his name on the toe of his sock – go figure!! —- The simple painted line looks like it was made that way, but I know the secret!! Dana in Indiana
Brilliant idea, Dana! I love fun little tips like that make such a huge difference in the end and save so much time. Thanks for sharing your solution
I love all of the sock ideas, & I have to add my own to the list…
When the socks in my household get old, I cut them up in such a way that I have L-O-N-G strip (approx 3/4-1″ width).
I tug on it as I cut it so it curls in on it’s self…and… voila… instant “yarn” for crochet!
I have made rugs for:
~the floor in my bathroom for when you step out of the tub/shower
~laundryroom to catch all of the lint that shows up every where
~pet’s “curl up spot”
They weight a ton but are nearly indestructable!!!
Babylove, I LOVE that idea! I’m going to start saving my old socks
For the socks of the month club, is this something we can sign up for and you send the socks out every month or is this simply for ideas only?
Hi Cindy. The sock of the month club was just something I did for Jo as a birthday gift last year. We don’t offer it as a service, but it’s a pretty easy idea for you to implement — just keep an eye out for holiday-themed socks for your friend and give him or her a pair every month
Thanks for the idea!
I take dipper pins (now called quilting pins) and keep each pair of socks pined togather. As soon as I take them off, I repin them & put into wash basket. I pin them at the middle of the foot, both my short and long ones. Takes just a bit longer to dry, them fold over the cuff and put into sock drawer. I do this with all my cotton socks, even if only 1 pair of a color.
Rena, you are so organized. What a great idea! I am lucky if I get my socks into the hamper!
My partner and I have very similar-looking socks even though his feet are 5 sizes larger!
To make sorting easier: I make a little mark on the inside back rim of my socks (and boxers!) with a black permanent marker. It’s out of sight, won’t rub off on the skin, and will outlive the sock itself.
After the socks get too ragged/holey, I cut them from end to end and leave them as rough rags for heavy cleaning/polishing. I don’t feel bad if I can’t rewash these; they’ve served their purpose many times over.
I love the idea of cutting the socks open from end to end… that way there’s no mistaking that it’s definitely a rag now!