The Case of the Lost Sock
By Marsha
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
Midland, Michigan
April 11, 2016 11:02am CST
As everyone knows, socks are the most common item of clothing lost by a majority of the human population when doing laundry. Most of us just deal with that dilemma. I've had a lingerie laundry bag tucked away in a drawer for many years, but never bothered to use it for my socks, does anyone else use it for that purpose?
In the last several years I began purchasing colored socks and no longer lose them for some reason, but this isn't about the normal sock.
This discussion is more about compression socks. I finally got my husband to agree to get some to help the leg that just had surgery last year to heal faster as it was swelling up each day. It took us getting a prescription from the doctor and then he had to have some ordered as they only had beige ones in stock and he wanted black. These are knee highs.
When washing them, I used the lingerie laundry bag the first time or two, but then most recently I was lazy and didn't want to find it first, so washed the sock with the regular laundry. After bringing the dried laundry upstairs, I couldn't find his sock anywhere, I even shook out all his shirts, and looked through the towels any anywhere else I thought of, but still couldn't find it. It was beginning to bother me because they weren't cheap. They cost eighty some dollars for two pair, but the problem is they make them fitted for each foot now and he can't turn the other one inside out to wear them. (For those that don't know his situation, he only has one foot). So, not only can't he wear two of the socks, I've lost one.
Finally, last week he put on a different shirt. He couldn't get is arm through the armhole and took it back off. Yay! The missing sock was stuck inside that particular shirt. After this, I will find that laundry bag even if it takes me awhile. That won't get lost in the laundry.
So, if you tend to lose socks in the laundry each time you wash them, consider buying a lingerie laundry bag to wash them in. It could be less expensive overall.
18 people like this
17 responses
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
12 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman It's a good book, and there's a film of it (kinda!) released by Sky movies. You can find clips from the film on YouTube, as well as the abridged audio book read by Tony Robinson, or the full audio book, read by Nigel Planer.
Here's some background:
RIP Sir Terry Pratchett. Donate to cure Alzheimer's: http://www.alz.org/join_the_cause_donate.asp Also, in case you're wondering, this took forever to come o...
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
12 Apr 16
I was going to ask where you come up with these pictures, but I see it's from a book. Had you read it or come across it already? I've not heard of this one before, but sounds fun maybe.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
13 Apr 16
@pgntwo Thanks, i'll take a look at that tomorrow as it's late and my family is sleeping. I don't want to wake them up.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
12 Apr 16
Amazing that you've never lost a sock. But you don't have children of your own if I remember correctly, and like @marsha32 said, kids are a big reason socks get lost, although I have lost one or two of my own in years past. I don't have time to put my washed laundry on any clothes line, and I don't even have one to use at present. When I retire, I do want to get back to that again, maybe.
While growing up, we learned to shake the pieces of laundry when they were dry after removing them from the clothesline, but I doubt most people bother with that when the laundry is dried in a machine. If we did do that even then, probably most of those socks would never go missing in the first place.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502208)
• Italy
13 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman I use my drying machine for towels, bed sheets, napkins and so on, but never for the socks, the elastic bands loose flexibility with the heat.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
13 Apr 16
@LadyDuck That doesn't happen too much for us. In fact, I never noticed that being a problem. If I didn't dry everything, the laundry would never get done.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
11 Apr 16
Lol - I gather you don't iron his shirts?
Those socks are really expensive aren't they? My husband had some given to him by the hospital after his knee replacement, and they didn't want them back. I don't know if they are the same as the ones you are talking about.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
12 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman My husband is very fussy about his shirts, but fortunately I have a girl who comes in to do them. I hate ironing.
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@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
12 Apr 16
These are compression stockings, if that's what they gave your husband, then it's probably similar. You'd not know if they were the same unless you were charged for the one he got, but you get it all free there don't you? Here, even if the insurance pays the bill, everything given out is itemized so we can see the charges.
No, I don't iron his work shirts, they are polyester or that type of material. I'd probably cause the fibers to melt. But, I've not ironed on a regular basis for over fifteen or more years. If we hang things up right away, generally they are fine, plus we don't get out and about much, other than shopping. If we have a dress up affair, then I make sure those items are ironed. I just do it on the bed. My ironing board hasn't been used since we moved to this house and it's stored in the basement.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
14 Apr 16
LOL!!! Oh I do love stories like this. My niece only has one leg, so I know how that goes. I'm jealous because when she knits socks, she only needs to knit one! Anyway, I do have a lingerie bag and I love it! I wash my socks and underwear in it so nothing gets lost and no one can snoop through my laundry and see my "drawers". lol They just make life so much easier. And I also have two pair of those compression socks. Ugh! Takes every ounce of my energy to even get into them.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
14 Apr 16
If you wear the panty hose compression stocking or thigh highs, then they are time consuming donning them, but I found the knee highs were much easier. It still takes beginning with the toe area and slowly working oneself upward, but much easier than going all the way up and then finding that there's not enough material and you have to start again. I need to get another pair of the knee highs. I had one that was like normal socks but with compression that I loved, but wore them out. I've not gone shopping yet to see if I can locate more. I did check online, but haven't found the same one and maybe they're not made any longer, but I don't know for sure yet.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
15 Apr 16
@CRK109 I used to wear thigh high ones that had a band made of rubber, I think, to hold them up, but I used glue made for that purpose to ensure they stayed up all day. They weren't too bad. Then after a few years I tried the knee high type and found the band no longer cut into my leg like it used to do, so stayed with that type instead. They were much easier to work with although I still own the thigh high ones.
I need to get back into using them again, as I had a small ulcer type thing on the side of my ankle. I didn't even realize it was there. It seems to be healing okay though, but I need to keep my eye on it.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
14 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman Yes, the ones I have are knee high. I would not even want to attempt anything higher than that! lol
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
13 Apr 16
Those darn things will stick to anything in the wash! I didn't realize they made left and right versions now. When I worked at the hospital, they just had them in various sizes and all the patients who used that size, used them communally when they came up from the laundry.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
14 Apr 16
We were surprised to find they were fitted for one foot or the other. If we'd realized that before getting them maybe we could have found some that weren't fitted that way. We were expecting him to have four socks to wear, not just two of them.
1 person likes this
@Ruby3881 (1963)
• Canada
14 Apr 16
@MarshaMusselman They're so expensive, you'd think you would be able to get them just for one leg. A lot of people only need them for one side, whether it's because of an amputation or because their medical concern only occurs on the one side. And I imagine with other folks, it could be an issue of needing two different sizes....
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169439)
• United States
11 Apr 16
I do use those lingerie bags for my socks. Hubby has all white socks so his go in one bag, mine in another. My bags have a loop on them. I hook the loop over a peg on a peg rack behind the door. I put the socks in as I take them off. If I want to hang the socks out I pin the bag out, and remove each pair of socks and hang them together for easy matching. It is a little thing but it saves time and money.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38865)
• Midland, Michigan
11 Apr 16
I've had the laundry bag for years, but never used it for anything. I should have used it for my regular socks years ago, but now that I have grey socks with different colored toes and heals, I don't tend to lose those for some reason.
@marsha32 (6631)
• United States
11 Apr 16
We lose tons of socks here...some in the laundry, but a lot of them because these children take them off and just throw them instead of putting them in the basket.
@infatuatedbby (94909)
• United States
11 Apr 16
That is a great idea to resolve thee missing socks! 
1 person likes this
@LovingMyBabies (85923)
• Valdosta, Georgia
11 Apr 16
You found the trick for not losing socks! 
I always swore the dryer eats socks and my house eats shoes... One or the other is always nowhere to be found!
I always swore the dryer eats socks and my house eats shoes... One or the other is always nowhere to be found!1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22247)
• United States
13 Apr 16
I'll might have do start doing that too. My mother wear compression socks too. She has a broken leg which has pins in it and her legs get stiff. She say those socks help her.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (91035)
• United States
11 Apr 16
Wow those socks really are expensive. Glad you found the missing one and using a lingerie bag certainly is a good idea for keeping those socks from escaping
1 person likes this
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
14 Apr 16
I'm glad you found it. I have those as well and you're right they are expensive. However, they don't work for me. The doctor had to put me on water pills to get the swelling down on my legs. The compression socks cut into my legs and cut off my circulation. Now the swelling is going down and I'm losing weight too.
