Sock It to Me!

Socks are great for protecting feet on warm days and warming feet on cold days. They are supposed to travel in pairs but often get separated between the dirty clothes hamper and the stack of clean clothes. Their small size, odd shape and sheer numbers make them a challenge to get organized and keep organized. Here are few tips and tools for making sock finding easier.

Consider separating socks by use, then by color. For instance, work socks could be separated into blue, black, brown. Athletic socks could be separated into white and other. The categories can be further separated by style if you have longer socks, shorter socks, specialty socks.

While you are sorting the socks into categories, separate out any loners who have gotten separated from their mates. Also separate out any worn socks, socks with holes and socks you have not worn in a year. (An exception might be thermal socks you save for the coldest winters)

Discard the worn, holey, unused socks. We suggest holding onto the sole mates through three washings to see if their partner turns up. If no mate appears toss the lonely sock or put it to another use. Socks make great puppets and dust cloths.

Now that your socks are separated and mated, how do you keep them together and organized? I like to keep my socks rolled together in pairs. I sort them by color and store them on a shelf in dishpan containers from the dollar store. Each container holds a different color. I have no trouble keeping my socks together and finding the pair I need when I need them.

Some folks prefer to fold their socks in pairs and there are several storage containers made specifically for folded socks. One of these type containers is a four inch wide clear plastic rectangle that fits nicely into dresser drawers. These can be lined up in rows to separate colors and types of socks. Another tool for organizing is an expandable diamond drawer organizer that gives a ready view of socks stored in the drawer. One client who uses this system say sorting by color isn’t necessary since he can view all his clean socks at a glance.

There are also some handy devices for keeping socks together when you throw them in the laundry and subject them to the washer and dryer cycles. One of our clients keeps plastic clothes pins handy for her children to clip socks together before tossing in the hamper. Soc-locks are handy little circles that grab pairs of socks without damaging the material and can be tossed in the washer and dryer.

These items can be found at the following websites:

www.Allbrightideas.com
www.Soc-locks.com
www.stacksandstacks.com
www.organize.com

Beverly and Kristen
www.KeyTransitions.net