There are a few quick and easy tricks that you can use to ensure that your socks that used to be bright and white but are now steadily greying are brought right back to their original colour.
Many of these techniques can be done using products you are likely to already have in your household, which makes these methods both convenient and affordable. So, here are the various ways in which you can return your socks to their previous shiny white state.
1. The Trusty Vinegar Method
The first option is a household favourite that can be used for various cleaning tasks around the home. Vinegar is incredibly useful as the acid in it can eliminate stains, odours, and bacteria.
Mix one cupful of white vinegar with a litre of boiled water and leave your socks to soak overnight in the mixture.
After they’ve been soaking for long enough, run them through your normal wash cycle in your washing machine and they should come out nice and white and without any lingering smells.
2. Give Bicarbonate of Soda a Go
The next method to try is another product that can easily be found on your kitchen shelves. Bicarbonate of soda is another common product that can be useful in a variety of situations.
Fill a sink up with warm water and sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda into the water before adding your socks and swirling them around a bit.
Leave the socks to soak in the water overnight and then remove them from the sink before adding them to your washing machine on a normal cycle, but with half a cup of bicarbonate of soda added to the drawer with your regular detergent.
Once you pull those socks out of the machine, they should be clear and white again.
3. Try Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is something that is both affordable and easy to get your hands on if you don’t already have some lemons in your house.
Lemon is well-known for its ability to fight tough stains and leave clothes shiny and looking brand new. It can also combat any bacteria left behind on your garments.
The lemon juice approach will work on fading socks as well. Squeeze a lemon into a warm bowl of water and add your socks to the mixture.
Leave the socks in the lemony mixture for three hours and then run them through a normal cycle in your washing machine. They will emerge looking brand new!
4. If All Else Fails, Bleach Will Do the Trick
Bleach is always going to be an effective method of removing stains on white items of clothing, and this will be just as successful when your favourite pair of socks are starting to look a little dull.
Add two to four tablespoons of bleach to a sink full of hot water before adding a teaspoon of washing up liquid and then letting your socks soak for up to 15 minutes. Try to use oxygen bleach if possible as chlorine bleach can often add a yellowish tinge to white items.
Remove the socks from the sink and add them to your machine. For an effective sock-whitening process, make sure that you are running your washing machine on a hot cycle.
Conclusion
If you’ve attempted all of these options and your socks are still looking a little grubby and grey-tinged, it may mean that it’s time to invest in a few new pairs!
An adventurous book lover with an animal obsession and a proclivity for travel and spontaneity. Used to passionately despise cleaning but has grown to enjoy it thanks to learning all the best tricks and shortcuts to guaranteeing a stress-free routine and a spotless home.
