How to Organize Socks: A Step-By-Step Guide

How many times a day are you looking for a clean and matching pair of socks? Perhaps a few times a day, counting your kids’ and spouses’ socks as well? Just follow these 6 steps in how to organize socks, and you will never have to deal with this annoying daily ritual again!

How To Organize Socks Step-By-Step

In today’s urban world, where spacious homes are out of reach for most of us, we have a tough job keeping our homes clutter free. In this article I will discuss a few things that may help you to answer the following question: how to organize socks? Though the topic might look a bit simplistic, you’ve probably seen the socks strewn all over the place in your wardrobe or drawer. So take a look at this quick step-by-step approach.

Step 1: Take All The Socks Out

You cannot hope to organize the container, drawer or other such places where you keep your socks without taking all of them out. Once you have everything removed, you will exactly know how much space you have and how much space you need. It will help you to sort each and every pair of socks properly. And it will give you a chance to clean the drawer with a soft soapy solution before you put the socks back into it.

You could make use of a paper towel and wipe the drawer clean. This should be done once the socks are removed. It will help in removing any dirt or other unnecessary items and junks that may have been put inside the drawer. You can dampen the paper towel if you don’t keep your socks in a drawer but in a container that is waterproof and water-resistant. Make sure that the container is clean and dry before you put the socks back in it.

Step 2: Group The Socks Together

Quite often you come across one sock and you can’t find the other one. You must take some time and have the patience to group together two socks. You should group together all those socks that have the pairs available. Place the one-socks in a separate pile.

Keep the ones with paired socks separately. You can look for the correct pairs for the ones that are not available when you are arranging the sock drawer or container. In case you are not able to find the pairs for the single socks, you may have no option but to get rid of them. You could also use them as rags.

Step 3: Get Rid Of Socks With Stains Or Holes

It is quite possible that you may come across socks that have stains or holes. Some socks may be worn out, the colors may have faded and a few of them may have large-sized holes. Some may be too dirty, black, and soiled in spite of regular washing. Many pairs of socks are loose-fitting because the elastic has worn out. You should not hesitate to get rid of these socks.

If you have an excess collection of socks, it may make sense to go through it a bit patiently. Look for socks that are beginning to fade or starting to develop small holes in them. You could either discard these socks or make use of them as rags or for other purposes.

Examples: How To Organize Socks

Collapsible storage box for sock drawer, 16 cells (buy on Amazon)

Collapsible storage box for sock drawer, 24 cells (buy on Amazon)

Hanging over door sock organizer, 21 cells (buy on Amazon)

Set of 2 socks organizers, 54 or 112 slots available (buy on Amazon)

Clear plastic drawer divider, 4-pack (buy on Amazon)

Step 4: Organize Socks Based On Color, Frequency Of Use Or Size

You could donate socks to a charitable home. If you have socks that do not fit well or if you have pairs you haven’t worn for more than 6 months, you must make it a point to have them donated. There are many charitable homes that accept textile donations. They make use of it for the purpose of recycling. If you are keen on decluttering your home, ensure that you keep only those socks that you need and those which you will be using on a regular basis. If you don’t use it or love it, then discard it.

Step 5: Folding Remaining Socks in Sock Drawer

Always fold the socks double instead of rolling them into a ball before putting them into the sock drawer or container. This will prevent your socks from getting stretched out. Instead of rolling the socks into a ball, it would be better to fold the socks half once and place it one over the other.

Ensure that the same pairs of socks are folded and arranged one over the other. This not only makes the whole sock drawer and container look good but it also will help increase the life of the socks. If the size of the socks is a bit large, instead of two folds, you may need three folds.

Organize your socks based on colors. Grouping of same-colored socks serves two purposes. Firstly, it could help to make the whole arrangement look neat and professional. Secondly, you will make sure that the right socks are easily available to the users, especially during morning hours when many of us run against time to get to our workplaces, offices, and schools.

Try to organize your socks based on usage. This will save quite a bit of time. For example, if you wear different types of socks for different occasions, then you could arrange them accordingly. For example, socks that are worn daily by children for their schools, socks to play sports, or socks for special occasions could be kept separately or arranged accordingly.

This again would depend on the number of family members, the usage pattern, the frequency and other such things. There could be some trial-and-error problems, but the same can be overcome with practice once you get used to it.

Organize your socks depending on the number of pairs you have. If you have twenty or thirty pairs for a particular family member, do not stuff all of them in one drawer or container. You will be creating a cluttered environment again and therefore this should be avoided at all costs.

Make use of baskets and sock drawer dividers to easily separate and organize your socks. One way to make use of an old shoebox is to place it inside your drawer as a divider. These dividers and baskets come in handy when you have a few drawers and containers for accommodating many dozens of pairs of socks.