How to Stop Losing Socks in the Wash

Fact: Socks are serial offenders at separating from their significant others when it comes to wash time. Once removed from your feet and placed into the dirty laundry basket, *those socks are on their own — and you can never really be sure whether they’ll make it back to you in a pair. According to Google, “Why do my socks go missing?” and “Where do socks go when they disappear?” are actual questions that people want answers to. Strangely enough, so is, “Do washing machines eat socks?” Where they go is a mystery yet to be solved, but, to put an end to this funny business and stop them disappearing in the first place, we’ve come up with five simple laundry hacks to keep your socks together (even during the fastest of spin cycles).

1. Use a laundry bag.

These things are lifesavers when it comes to protecting your delicates, and they’re also great at keeping those adventurous socks contained.

2. Clip them together.

Before placing them in the washing machine, or even better, the dirty wash basket, use a peg, clip, or a safety pin to keep them side by side.

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Wir wohnen noch nicht einmal da. Ist das denn normal😅😅😅 #Traumhaus #socken #missingsocks #Laundry #sockenfresser

A post shared by Tanja B. / Tasika (@tasika2003) on Apr 4, 2017 at 10:27am PDT

3. Have a “socks only” policy.

Start a designated “dirty socks” basket and wash all your socks at once. Note: Socks must be placed in the basket in pairs for this to be effective.

4. Label them.

Sometimes the washing machine is not to blame when it comes to the mysterious case of the missing sock. Children and husbands are all guilty of “borrowing” a pair of socks if they’ve run out of clean ones. (You’ve probably even done this yourself.) Keep your socks tagged, labeled, or buy brightly colored or patterned socks so you will always know which ones are yours.

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Be careful if you are braving the Black Friday storm – It gets crazy out there! #missingsocks #lostsocks #blackfriday #shopsmall #shoplocal

A post shared by Boldfoot Socks (@boldfoot) on Nov 25, 2016 at 6:23am PST

5. Make a quick pair.

If your socks actually make it through a wash cycle in one pair, as soon as you fold that load of laundry, pair your socks together and put them away. This way, they’ll have no time to escape.

TIP: Still stuck? Look behind your washing machine — you may be surprised at what you find.

This post was written by Olivia Clarke. For more, check out our sister site Homes to Love.