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.