Moms, don’t you hate it when socks easily get lost in the washer during laundry day? Socks are an important accessory for babies. It keeps the heat in the infant’s body. Obviously, it is not very practical to purchase new pairs every time you lose one in the washer. The trick is to use a bag to keep the socks together.
Separate the socks from your baby’s laundry load. Make sure you separate the colored ones from the whites. Place them in a lingerie bag or a mesh bag. Or if you don’t have these bags, you could use a pillowcase tied at the end. Remember to use a bag that has enough space for the socks to move freely during the wash cycle. You could also try keeping the socks together with a safety pin.
Put the bag in the washer. Of course, you could throw it in safely with the rest of the laundry load. You are assured that the pairs wouldn’t get lost. Turn it to gentle-knit or delicate cycle. You could use hot or warm water. Add a standard portion of baby detergent. If you prefer soft fragrant socks, you could put scented fabric softener sheets in the washer as well.
When drying, turn the dryer to low heat or fluff dry. Check the lingerie bag to make sure it did not open in the process. Open the bag and start matching up the pairs. Fold them or pin them together before placing them in your baby’s cabinet.
For an alternative solution, you can always hand wash your baby’s socks. This would certainly help keeping the pairs together.
Run warm water in the sink, bathtub or rubber basin. Do not overfill the container. Fill the basin with water halfway. Pour detergent in the water. Use enough soap as according to the amount of socks you need to wash.
Add the baby socks pair by pair. Gently move them around in the water. Make sure you have completely immersed them.
Add hot water in the container. Move the socks around the water again and let it soak for about 20 minutes.
Wash each sock with your hands. Remember, do not stretch the fabric, wring the socks or pull them out of shape. Use a small brush or knead the fabric together to remove tough stains. In rinsing, let the water drain and fill it again with clear water. You can now use cold water. Wash the socks until all the detergent washes off.
When drying, pin the socks in the clothes line outside. You could also dry them using a towel. Press the sock on the towel until it absorbs all the water. Or, you could put them in a mesh bag or lingerie bag before placing them in the dryer.
photo credit: NoVa Hokie
