Buzz
New white socks have that perfect, clean look, but it doesn’t take long before they start to lose their sparkle, often turning a dull gray. Thankfully, there are ways to maintain their bright, just-bought appearance for much longer.
Follow these expert tips to stop your socks from getting dirty in the first place, and learn how to bring stained socks back to their original crisp whiteness.
Jun / Getty ImagesHow to Keep Your Socks from Becoming Dingy
It's much easier to prevent stains and dirt from affecting your socks rather than trying to clean them after the fact. Use these tips to maintain your white socks' brightness from the start.
Maintain Clean Floors in Your Home
The main factor in your socks becoming dirty isn’t your laundry habits, but your floors. Cleaning expert Becky Rapinchuk of CLEAN MAMA suggests regular vacuuming and washing to remove dirt. You might also want to consider establishing a no-shoes policy in your home to limit the dirt brought in on your shoes, which then transfers onto your socks.
Sort Your Laundry Carefully
Even a single dark t-shirt or pair of jeans washed alongside your white socks will cause some dye to transfer. If you keep mixing in dark clothes, eventually your socks will start to look gray and dingy. To avoid this, wash your socks with other white items to prevent them from picking up color.
Wear Slippers Over Your Socks
To reduce the dirt your socks collect, minimize their contact with the floor. Cleaning expert Rapinchuk suggests wearing slippers over your socks to protect them.
Avoid Wearing Your Socks Outside
While it's probably obvious, wearing white socks outdoors is a surefire way to get them dirty and stained with dark spots.
How to Wash White Socks to Keep Them Bright—Without Using Bleach
Bleach is a quick solution for removing stains from white fabrics. However, using bleach on your socks—especially on a regular basis—can weaken the fibers and cause uneven spots, both white and dark. Additionally, bleach is a strong cleaner that can irritate your skin and eyes and be hazardous, especially when mixed with ammonia or other household cleaners.
There are gentler laundry methods you can try to successfully clean white socks without the need for bleach.
Turn Socks Inside Out
One of the best ways to maintain the whiteness of your socks is to turn them inside out before washing them, according to Rapinchuk. While washing socks inside out is generally recommended to clean the interior more thoroughly, if keeping your socks white is a top priority, washing them right side out is the best approach.
Soak in an Oxygen Whitener
Oxygen whiteners are a gentler alternative to bleach, helping to remove dirt without the harshness of traditional bleach. When your socks need a thorough clean, immerse them in a bucket of hot water and oxygen whitener, or use the soak setting on your washing machine with the same temperature water.
Give Your Socks Room to Move
Overloading your laundry, especially with items like pants that can entangle your socks, is a sure way to end up with stained socks. In fact, none of your laundry will benefit from being crammed in without space to move. To ensure your socks get properly washed, wash them in a smaller load so they have enough room to agitate and rinse thoroughly, advises Rapinchuk.
Use a Warm or Hot Wash Setting for Your Socks
Cold water cycles work well for delicate items that aren’t too dirty, but if you're aiming for a deep clean, crank up the heat. Hotter water helps your washing machine remove bacteria and other microbes from your socks, making them less stinky and more thoroughly cleaned.
