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What To Do With All Those Single Socks?

Do you have loads of single socks showing up in every load of laundry? Here are a few ideas to repurpose those old socks before throwing them out.

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure we have a sock gnome that lives in our dryer. We collect more single socks, and I can’t begin to think where the other pair gets left behind. None of us take our socks off outside our house, so the darn things have to be floating around somewhere, right? Either way, I’ve looked long enough and still have a basket full of socks without a partner. So what can we do with these single socks (when we don’t necessarily want to just throw them in the trash)?!

10+ Easy Ways To Repurpose Single Socks

Have a Match-Making Basket

Before giving up hope of finding their friend, toss all your single socks in a basket and periodically match them up with each other while folding laundry. Not surprisingly, we find lots of pairs that lost their way and find their match in this matchmaking basket.

Wear Mismatched Socks … because .. why not?

Just because one socks gets a hole in it doesn’t require the pair to be thrown out as well. In many cases, it doesn’t matter if socks match, so feel free to wear mismatching socks. I’ve officially given you permission. Alternatively, consider buying several pairs of the same type of sock which helps eliminate this problem because single socks can be paired up with other single socks and still match.

Use Old Socks as Covers For Ice Packs

Reusable ice packs straight from the freezer can be so cold (no surprise). Cover them with thin socks to take the frozen edge off the ice pack while still having it feel cold enough to serve its purpose.

Dust With Old Socks

Get into nooks and crannies by wearing a sock on your hand like a glove. Wearing the sock right on your hand seems so much easier than using a special dusting tool for the job. It’s also one less thing to buy and store in an already full cabinet.

Stop Drafts From Seeping Through Doors and Windows

Sew together a few socks (after cutting off the toes) to make a tube. Fill the tube with rice and sew it shut. If you have some really pretty socks, particularly if the colors pair well together, it might make for a great looking and unique decor piece. If not, it may not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but it gets the job done.

Cover Dry Hands While Sleeping After Moisturizing

Especially in the winter, moisturize your feet and hands before going to bed. Cover your feet and hands with socks while you sleep to help ensure your skin absorbs the lotion and prevent the moisturizer from rubbing all over your sheets. I certainly don’t want those oily moisturizers that are so helpful for my skin leaving stains all over my beloved flannel sheets.

Repurpose Socks as Leg Warmers

If you’re losing a pair because one sock has a hole near the toe, cut off the toes of the socks and make a pair of leg warmers. This can work really well for baby leg warmers too, especially because you can cut the sock in half if the sock’s counterpart mysterisouly walks away.

Cover Shoes With Old Socks While Traveling

Socks provide great protection for shoes while traveling. I’ve definitely lost a shoe or two to scuff and scraping damage while they were packed up in my bag, and it was such a bummer. Put your shoes into large unused socks before packing to help ensure the shoes don’t get ruined while traveling.

Make an Armband for Your Phone

Cut off the toes of a tube sock. Pull the sock up around your arm, fold the bottom up to create a pocket and tuck your phone inside the pocket if you want to chat with friends or listen to music while doing chores, for example.

Use an Old Sock as a Glove to Polish Surfaces

An old sock makes for a perfect mitt to wax furniture, shine silver, and polish jewelry.

Cover Golf Clubs with Old Socks

Cover golf club heads with socks so they don’t get scratched or bumped when you’re not playing. This is especially helpful while traveling (to and from the course or on the golf course) and the clubs are likely to bounce around against each other.

P.S. If you’re new to golf or need to know a thing or two for a work golf outing, check out my series Beginner’s Guide to Surviving a Golf Outing.

Protect Valuables When Moving

Place valuable and fragile items into socks before packing up for travel. The socks add protection to help prevent the pieces from breaking. If something does break (which seems inevitable when moving), the socks should also help contain any broken pieces or parts.

Make Knee Pads with Old Socks

Cut off the toes of an old sock and slide the sock over your knees. This makes great padding for any activities requiring kneeling. You can also fold the socks over your knees several times if you need extra padding. This could be really great for gardening.

Store Mothballs in an Old Sock in a Closet or Drawer

Take care of your clothes and put mothballs into a clean sock inside a drawer or closet. The socks are a perfect way to store the mothballs in a small space without buying any extra gadgets to hold them.

The internet is also loaded with lots of small DIY projects for things you can make with socks, like the ever-famous sock monkey and other stuffed animals. These are adorable, but I don’t have much use for them and I also am not sure I could make them. If you’re looking to explore creativity, give Pinterest a search. Hopefully the ideas above offer up some useful ways to put those crazy single socks to good use before they end up in a landfill. We all know landfills have more than their fill of single socks already.

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