From the hamper, to the washer, to the sock drawer, there are several places that socks can lose their match. The mystery of missing socks will likely never be solved, but there are ways to increase the probability of being able to find two socks that go together, even in a large household. This is a guide about organizing socks.
Buy socks that are all alike. I store them without folding them into each other also. They stretch out faster if you fold them into a ball. The advantages to this practice: no matching-up socks and when one wears out, gets a hole or gets lost you have automatic replacements.
You can still buy socks of different kinds. I have white socks for tennis shoes and dress socks, but the whites are all alike and the dress socks are all black and alike. I think this saves money in the long run.
By thriftyvicki from Dallas, TX
I bought the net type washing bags for lingerie and delicate things. Each person in the family has a sock bag. The dirty socks are put in each person's bag, then I wash them and dry them in the bag. Then the bags are given to each person, so they can put up their socks. If a sock is missing, then you know the person it belongs to needs to look under the bed, etc., until they find the sock. It has kept most all those wild socks corralled, and we don't have as many strange pairs as we used to have!
By Elaine from OK
With three kids in elementary school at the same time, keeping up with socks was not working, I got three packs (6 pair each) of white socks on sale that fit everyone. Finally all the sock for the kids matched. This worked for a few years. I just got the same kind and stashed them for later. If we got a hole, or lost one, we had replacements. Now that the two younger ones are teens, they still share socks, but it with me. They don't seem to mind. The best place I've gotten socks was E-bay. I buy in bulk 24 pair for $12.00. We still have a few pairs after five years.
By motiva8 from Canton, NC
To prevent losing socks in washer and dryer, pin the pair together with safety pins.
Source: Mother
By Virginia from Columbus, OH
I use the dividers in glass bottle beer cases (they are used to prevent the bottles from knocking into each other) as sock dividers in my drawers. These dividers work just as well as the commercially sold ones in the organizational stores, but they are free (if someone in your family buys beer).
By MaryME
A great tip that I have found that works very well is to place a small basket on the top of the dryer, one for each family member and when the clothes are dry you can throw each members socks in the basket. It helps when it comes time to match them, or the kids can help match their own socks. Works great!
Ann
If you place the socks at the bottom of the wash load, they are less likely to be thrown over the top of the washer and pumped out with the water. I read this tip somewhere years ago, and I have raised three kids and a husband using it with very few lost socks!
By rose from Black Hills of SD
I keep sock pairs matched so they are worn the same number of times, by numbering them when I take them out of a package. Starting with #1 on a pair, after washing simply match up the numbers.
By Herman from Midland, MI
I keep a cork board hung up in the laundry room. Each time I fold socks I take the strays and pin them up to the board. Next time I have strays, I check the board which usually has the match.
By Amy
In order to limit my frustration in matching socks, I ONLY buy the same brand over and over again. I have it written down in my wallet so I have the name and style with me when I shop. The same thing goes for my husband who is only allowed the same style white socks and black socks. We allow a few special socks to go with suits and slacks, but these are also of the same brand and can be easily matched by color.
No more problems with having 7 different types of white socks or black socks that mix with blue... and if one gets lost, there is always another to replace it!
By Danielle
Each family member has a different color sock, 4 boys and my husband and myself. Makes it easy to sort. Black, gray, white, gray with a stripe and gray with a colored heel. It is so difficult to keep their socks white that my husband and myself are the only ones with white socks.
By S Duffy from Canada
Instead of using those plastic over-the-door shoe organizers for shoes, I use mine to organize our socks! After taking the socks out of the dryer, I just roll them up and place a pair in each pocket of the shoe organizer (I do this with pantyhose and knee-highs too).
No scrambling to match socks on a busy morning! When my son gets older and starts to dress himself, I'll probably do the same for his room so that he has easy access to matching socks.
By Lisa from WI
When my children were home we could never match socks for each person. So I decided for my husband and son that one person got the solid white crews/tube sock and the other person got socks with stripes. With the girls, one would get bobby socks and the other would get crews, or one would get low cut footies and the other got ankle cut. Then the style of socks determined who owned each sock. This made laundry folding day much easier.
By Kimberly from Lakeland, FL
I bought one of those mini square plastic baskets that look like a small laundry basket and placed it on the closet shelves above our hanging clothes. I use it for socks instead of a drawer, it frees up drawer space. If you want, you could use it for underwear or have a few for different items.
I have recently discovered that there actually is a solution for mismatched baby and kid socks! No more lonely socks hanging out at the back of enormous dresser drawers. Now I take an empty cereal box (the largest size works best!) and cut it into three pieces.
I close the top back up and seal with tape. The bottom is of course already sealed. Then with my scissors I make new flaps for the middle piece and crease then tape them down like the top and bottom. Voila! - three perfectly sized drawer organizers for those teeny little adorable socks!
It works well for toddler and bigger kid socks too. Just cut the box pieces to the size you need. Recycling, thriftiness and one less headache when it is time to dress the kids!
By BoobertAndWeenie from Belmont, MA
Always buy mens and boys' socks in quantities of a dozen or more of matching pairs.
I have two small boys and while sorting socks, I find that although they wear different sizes when rolled they all look like the same size.
I often buy several pairs of the same color of socks so that if one sock of the pair wears out, there will still be several mates.
Buy several pair of the same make, model, and color and not only do you save time sorting laundry, but if one goes bad or missing, you still have back-ups and an extra.
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