Most of the sock yarns I use are meant to be hand washed and not put in the dryer. I’m asked often how I handle that. I’ve never found it to be a burden to hand wash my socks. Yesterday was sock washing day so I thought . . how exciting can this be? Washing a pile of dirty socks! I’ll just take pictures and write a blog post about it! 🙂
I keep a container in my bathroom cabinet and when I take my socks off, I toss them in that bucket so they don’t accidentally end up in the washer. I used to use an empty one gallon plastic ice cream bucket but every time I saw it, I wanted ice cream so I switched to a plastic bucket that I think is kinda like a small clothes basket. When the bucket starts to get almost full and we have a sunny day (every day around here almost), I dump the socks in bath tub.
As I’m running lukewarm water into the tub, I squirt in a little pet shampoo.
Socks come from wool. Wool comes from sheep or alpacas. Sheep and alpacas are pets . . so, why not use pet shampoo to wash my socks? Besides .. it’s 3M and I have it here.
I swish the socks around in the warm soapy water, then I rinse them by holding a couple of them in my hands under running water. Then I squeeze (NOT wring) any excess water out of them and put them down on a folded towel.
Next, the socks are rolled up in the towel and I will step on it and “smush” as much water out of the socks as I can.
On a table or, on the porch floor if there are no chickens running loose, I spread dry towels and then lay the socks out to dry.
After a couple of hours, I flip the socks over so the other side can dry. Here, where we have no humidity, the socks are dry within a couple of hours.
Simple as that!
Connie in MN says
Now that’s what I call some beautiful eye candy! Wow! Love your blog Judy. You are so down-to-earth and practical…values I share and appreciate. Thanks for sharing your life with all your blog friends.
Janet says
Hi Judy! Wow! I wish I had as many pairs as you do! Maybe by next year. I use the same method as you except I squeeze the socks out in a ShamWow-that really sucks the water out of them,, and they can be dry in just about one hour. Love your Blog.
Michelle says
You know, if I could find all of the pairs of socks I’d finished and then tucked into safe places, I might have as many as you do! I should probably look for them one of these days….
Baby shampoo works well, for sock washing, too.
Erin says
Wow pet shampoo great idea!!! I have that!!! And so simple!! Thanks!!!
Venessa says
Hi, amazing socks.Question: since I’m not a wool sock kind of girl, when and where do you get a chance to wear wool socks in Texas? Now in Alberta, yes, that I can see. 🙂
wanda says
Sounds like a lot of work to me. Why not wash and dry them? Just kidding. You wear wool socks all year or just in the winter? I hate hand washing anything never any place to dry what ever it is. I try to wash all mu sweaters in the summer that need washing but not in the winter.
That to much work and the older I can the more work it becomes. That laying over the bathtub is for the birds after 3 back surgeries .
Denise ~ justquiltin says
You are a day ahead of schedule – today (Sat) was sock washing day. 🙂
Terri says
I do my socks the very same way – minus the pet shampoo and the table outside. I just lay out a large beach towel on the floor in the LR and dry my socks there. Since the house is usually on the warm and dry side, it doesn’t take much time till they are dry! It’s way easy, isn’t it?