I get this fairly often, “Dear BHD, my socks fall down inside my boots all the time. How do I stop it? What socks do you recommend?”

I tell ya, lately I have received a large number of sock-related questions. So in my attempt to put a sock in it (sorry…) I thought I’d sock it to ya (sorry…) with an insight shared with me by a friend whose information has resolved that problem for me.

My friend owns and operates a company that provides laundry services — not a laundromat, but an actual place where you can bring dirty clothing, and for a fee, get your clothes cleaned, pressed, and even hung on new hangars. She knows a thing or two about keeping socks in good shape.

She advised that to prevent socks from falling down inside of boots, besides getting the right socks made of cotton/wool/acrylic blend (see previous blog post about selecting socks), also be sure to wash the socks in cold water if you can. That prevents them from releasing the elasticity too quickly around the top band of the sock.

For most folks, all you need to do is to wash them in cool or cold water (with an appropriate cold-water detergent), and you’ll be fine.

If, however, your socks are unusually wet with sweat and/or are very stinky, then you should pre-treat them by soaking them in a bowl of warm water into which you have put about 1/2 ounce (15cc) of cold-water detergent. Swish it around by hand for about 5 minutes and have it do the early work of removing the grime and smell. Then throw the socks into the washer and put them through a regular cycle (selecting the cold water option.)

Socks must be washed after each time they are worn, because washing is what returns the elasticity to the top band.

Dry socks on a line or in cool air (“fluff” setting) in a dryer — not full heat. Higher heat tends to reduce the elasticity along the top band of a sock. I learned this myself, when after about 20 regular washings mixed with jeans, t-shirts, and such which were then dried on the “regular” (heat) cycle, my socks would lose their shape and “clump up” at the bottom of my boots. I would turn those socks into cleaning rags.

By drying socks slowly on a line or in unheated air (“fluff”), my socks would go through at least 20 more washes before they would no longer retain shape and fall down quickly after I put them on.

In summary: to keep socks from falling down inside boots, first start with good socks made of three materials — cotton, wool, and acrylics. Wash them after wearing them (don’t wear the same socks two or more days in a row). Dry socks slowly without heat in the open air or on the “fluff” setting on a dryer.

Life is short: care for your socks!