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 ways to repurpose old socks before throwing them out.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure a sock gnome lives in our dryer. We collect more single socks, and I can’t fathom where the other pair gets left behind. None of us take our socks off outside our house, so the darn things must 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 throw them in the trash)?!
10+ Easy Ways To Repurpose Old 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 matched lots of pairs that lost their way and end up in this matchmaking basket.
Wear Mismatched Socks … because .. why not?
Just because one sock gets a hole in it doesn’t require both socks to be thrown out. In many cases, it doesn’t matter if socks match, so 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 much easier than using a special dusting tool for the job. It’s also one less thing to buy and store in a 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 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 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 well for baby leg warmers, especially because you can cut the sock in half if the sock’s counterpart mysteriously walks away.
Cover Shoes With Old Socks While Traveling
Socks provide great protection for shoes while traveling. I’ve 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 is 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) when the clubs are likely to bounce around against each other.
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 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 fold the socks over your knees several times for extra padding. This could be great for gardening.
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 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.
