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?”<\/p>\n
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.
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\nMy 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.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>), 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. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.)<\/p>\n Socks must be washed after each time they are worn, because washing is what returns the elasticity to the top band. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Life is short: care for your socks!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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. … Continue reading