Solutions to the disappearing socks problem

The best idea I can come up with is based on the solution to the "little kids losing their mittens during winter" problem: attach the two with a long piece of cord or elastic or something, which is hidden beneath other clothing.

The main problem with this solution is that I ever find myself in the situation where I want to take my pants off in company I will have quite a bit of explaining to do. It also may pose some problems when it comes to washing: such a long cord thingy may tangle up in the washing machine. This could be solved by balling the cord up (and holding it with a rubber band) during washing.

It occurs to me that this would not work if you chose to wear shorts, or any type of skirt (for the cord needs to be held at the crotch, and I doubt deploying underwear for this purpose would be ideal).

Any further ideas are most welcome.

Socks get sidetracked in the wash routine. Perhaps they are lured off by dust bunnies bearing candy. Anyway, you know where they are when you wear them and when they're folded in the sock drawer. The secret is to confine them when they're not on your feet or in a drawer.

In the US Navy, when I sent items like socks down to get laundered, I would place them in a nylon mesh bag with a small brass padlock. My socks always returned in pairs. You can probably skip the lock, but get a zippered bag. They're usually used for lingerie, and you can find them in department stores or super-drug stores like Rite-Aid or Walgreens.

When you take your socks off, toss them in the bag and zip it. When it's time to wash the clothes, just toss the entire bag in. You may need two bags, one for whites and one for darks, if you're into sock segregation. If you're single, one big bag will do.

When you're done drying them, open the bag and pair them up. Fold them neatly and place them in your sock drawer.

Note that this does not work well for underwear gnomes because they can work zippers and locks, so don't waste your money if your undies are disappearing. Dust bunnies are easily defeated with this system.

This does not technically qualify as a solution, but this is how I combat the issue.

I never pair my socks.

I always buy the same size and brand and after I wash them I throw them all into the drawer (saving considerable time by not pairing them) and then pair them up each morning/afternoon when I get up. I only wear white socks, though, so if you have several colors this may not work as well. If they start looking different shades of white, then I simply throw them all in at once and add some bleach.

I am probably losing socks in the wash, but I never notice it and so I don't have to worry about.

And, yes, before you ask-- I am in college.

My solution to the sock problem is very similar to Akialyn's. I don't wash my socks. I just let them ferment naturally. Don't get me wrong I change my socks but I just don't wash them between wearings.

This method works very well (for me at least) but I have discovered one down side. After about 10 months the socks seem to disappear with no trace from my bedroom floor. I'm not sure why, but I think it has something to do with the legs they grow at that point. If you see my socks running around please /msg me.

Sears, Roebuck and Company solved this problem quite handily.

They made and sold socks (in black only) which had a snap near the top. You take them off, snap them together, and toss them into the hamper. After washing, you could unsnap them to fold for sock drawer storage; alternatively, you could just stuff them into the drawer and, in the morning, just pull on one end and out comes a pair.

Then some Vice President for the Annihilation of Good Ideas apparently became aware of this (sometime in 1999, I think) and discontinued them.

I was a loyal Sears customer because of their socks. I would go to buy socks and walk out with a shirt or two I didn't really need.

Now I use Akialyn's method, and have a drawer full of nothing but Dockers socks.