Outside view of VIDA Building

Why Socks go Missing in the Laundry

Mother and daughter sitting on the floor folding socks. Image credit: Ron Lach

April 2022

 

One nice amenity of our apartments and townhomes is that each comes with an in-unit washer and dryer. And while that probably puts a smile on your face, losing a sock in the laundry can really make you frown.

Is there really a sock monster? You know the one. It sneaks into your apartment or townhome while you’re doing laundry and gobbles up one sock from a pair. And you’re left with one perfectly good sock that’s rendered useless. Well, we have a few possible reasons that sock went missing and they can help you avoid one of the biggest laundry conspiracies there ever was.

The first place to look is in your washing machine. Sometimes a sock can become stuck in the door’s rubber gasket. Pull it back gently and look around. Next, grab a flashlight and check around, below, and behind your washer/dryer. It’s not unusual for a sock to be dropped when moving a load of laundry. The last culprit could be your dryer. Check the lint trap and inside the slot where the lint trap is inserted. If you don’t push it all the way in when you start a load, socks can find their way in there.

One final tip involves keeping your socks from ever being apart. Putting them in a mesh laundry bag when in both the washer and dryer can help. Or pinning them together with a safety pin is another option. You can even buy sock clips that are made just for that job.

Between knowing where lost socks go to hide and never letting your socks go into the laundry alone, you’ll hopefully never fall victim to the sock monster again.