Now that laundry day is over, do you find yourself boggled over the growing collection of missing socks?
Where do all the sock mates go? Most people have drawers of mismatched socks; they just continue to make their way through the laundry and into the drawers of their owners. But the real question is: where do they go? Does the washer or dryer “eat” them? Are they hiding under beds; under the couch cushions? Are they stowed away in the back of dresser drawers? No matter if the socks are just M.I.A. or even A.W.O.L. how long is too long to hold out hope and keep their divorced counterparts?
After spending a whole weekend doing my family’s laundry; I am continually astonished at our growing number of mismatched socks. I collect mine in a metal tub in my basement laundry room, continuing to sift through and make matches when a clean load comes through my sorting station. I have socks that have been detached from their mate for years, yes years! Is it time to toss the socks? About that time I will find the mate. Right? Is sifting through those loose ends a waste of time, like putting together a puzzle with missing pieces; never complete. I don’t want to give up hope; does that make me a hoarder of mismatched socks?
How long is a typical pair of socks supposed to last? Popular websites like Amazon.com say that white socks should last about a year, colored socks can last about two to three years from less wear. So I can keep my mismatched socks for about a year before considering its equal unfound.
How do I avoid the pile of unmated socks? There are a few different options to make matching socks easy. Families who purchase a certain style, size, or color of socks for each family member cut down the time of searching for mates by nearly 50 percent. There are also great products available to keep socks paired; like sock “rings” that keep the pair together through the wash, there are also mesh bags that you can keep with your laundry hamper, to collect pairs when removed. Or amazingly enough during my search for pairing options I stumbled upon a number websites selling mismatched socks; the current style for young and old alike. I do not have little girls, but I would venture to guess that this makes moms extremely happy on laundry day; to not have to mate and fold socks. Other websites like pinterest.com and etsy.com provide ideas on display methods to minimize the search for lost mates.
No matter how big or small your collection of mismatched socks is; I encourage you to draw the line one last time. Complete a final sort, collecting all of your family’s mismatched socks and ask yourself “How old is this sock?”, “Does his sock still fit?”, “Could the mate have been thrown away due to staining or holes?” But most importantly, “Is it worth saving?”
Don’t waste precious time waiting for lost mates to come around and find their mates. Consider the several options of reducing the strays and move on.
Don’t just survive life. Thrive!
Bergstrom is a professional organizer.
