Revitalise your drab socks with this simple cleaning tip. Socks are notoriously tough to keep pristine, particularly if you favour whites or lighter shades.
They’re an everyday essential, but that means they’re constantly exposed to dirt and grime underfoot. If you roam at home in just your socks, it doesn’t take long to discover even the cleanest floors leave marks behind. And even if you always wear shoes, beware of dyes that run and street dirt that sneaks its way in.
Even our most trusty socks turn dreary and faded after frequent washing. But don’t rush to switch to darker tones; there’s a clever hack that promises luminous socks “overnight.” The hack was shared on Reddit when a user shared their struggle to revive light-coloured socks after “multiple hot cycles” in the wash.
Commenters swiftly responded and a standout trick emerged: soak your socks in hot water with a dishwasher tablet. If you have a dishwasher, chances are you have the tabs on hand. If not, they’re budget-friendly finds, with a 40-pack sometimes costing as little as £3.56 at supermarkets – adding up to less than 9p per use.
One person advised: “Hot water in the kitchen sink overnight with a lemon dishwasher pod. Wash on a regular cycle in the washing machine. It comes out like new! I do this with sweat stains, too.”
Another individual commended the use of dishwasher tablets beyond the kitchen, sharing that they clean their toilet with one and have seen excellent results.
Additionally, a comment was made regarding the potential dullness of socks due to drying methods. The suggestion was that using a tumble dryer at high temperatures can cause dark spots and alter the fabric’s texture.
The person said: “I believe they do this when the dryer is too hot. It always happens to socks that are made from blended materials.”
How to brighten dull socks
- Soak in baking soda and vinegar: Mix half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of white vinegar in a bucket of warm water. Soak your socks in the solution for 30-60 minutes, then rinse and wash as normal.
- Bleach: For tough stains or very dull socks, add a quarter of a cup of bleach to a bucket of water and soak the socks for about five minutes. Overusing bleach can weaken fabrics over time so it should be used sparingly.
- Lemon juice and hot water: Slice a lemon and boil it in a pot of water. Remove the pot from the heat and soak your socks in the water for about an hour before washing as normal.
- Washing up liquid and baking soda: Mix a small amount of washing up liquid with quarter of a cup of baking soda so that it forms a paste. Rub the paste into the stained or dull areas of the socks, then soak them in warm water for 15-30 minutes.
- Sun drying: After washing, hang your socks outside in direct sunlight to dry. Sunlight naturally whitens without chemicals.