Clutter, Chaos and Socks - How to Organize Your Socks

Your socks should all be kept in the same place and easily visible when you need them. This means that you shouldn't have some of your socks in a drawer and others in a bin and even more under your bed. When you open your drawer you should be able to see at a glance how many socks you have clean and ready to wear. 

When you start stashing them in all different place it means that you will forget about them and go out and buy more. The only exception to this is if you keep your dress socks in one location and your sports socks in another and never mix them up. If you already have a drawer designated to socks you want to keep it as tidy as possible. 

One of the best ways to do this is to have dividers in your drawer. While you can buy these at the store they tend to be rather pricey and they don't always fit your drawer or are in the dimensions that you want. 

While wooden custom made dividers would be nice you can get the same effect by making your own out of Bristol board.

I made this organizer by using 4 sheets of Bristol board and it took about an evening to make, costing $2 plus tax. (Click Here For Instructions.)

You can also organize your drawer by placing a few open boxes in them to keep specific socks in, such as your dress socks, if you generally wear casual socks.

The box here was lined with the same paper that lines the bottom of the drawer.

If your drawer is very deep then you can make two layers of socks by placing  several open boxes of the same height on the bottom with the socks that you don't wear very often and a larger box that would sit on top of these boxes filled with the socks that you do wear all the time. When you need to access the bottom socks just lift the one top box off.

For children it really doesn't matter how nicely you organize things for them they will mess it up in no time. Bins often make the most sense for them. Sports socks can go in one bin and daily socks in another. 

With my children the problems was never organizing their socks but finding them. They would peel them off as soon as they could and leave them on the floor all over the house. We put an end to this by instigating the 10 Cent Sock Rule. Every time my husband or myself would find one of the children's socks on the floor, under the sofa, in the sofa or anywhere else they were not suppose to be the child would have to pay us 10 cents. 

Where ever you decide to put your socks they have to be easily accesable as you will be reaching for them every day. If you are thinking of buying a closet organizer then before you do maybe make a mock up with card board boxes (you can get them from the liquor store). You don't want to spend a lot of money on an organizer to find that it just doesn't do the job.

If you really, really don't have any space for your socks then consider getting a clear plastic shoe organizer, the type that hangs on a closet door and fill that with your socks. You will be able to see what is in the organizer and keep them neat at the same time. Sometimes you can find these at dollar stores but the quality is not very good. Another option is to have a bin that slides under your bed but again I would suggest that you make a temporary one from cardboard to see if that solution will really work for you. What ever you put your socks and hosier in make sure that it is not too deep and that you spend all your time rummaging looking for that one pair that you just can't find.

You should now know if you have enough socks and hosiery and what you need to replace. Start instigating the one in one out system so you don't get "over socked" again. For every new pair of socks you bring home then one pair needs to be disposed of. Too many people hold on to socks "just in case" and then the good ones get lost in the sea of bad ones. Be ruthless.

Try to take better care of your socks so they last longer. While most socks just end up in the general laundry if you have nylon dress socks or really good quality socks (that one pair that goes with the good suit) they should be washed separately. Nylon socks will pick up all the lint and fluff if washed with cotton items and high quality socks will keep their shape longer if treated gently.

If you are finding that your socks are continuously getting holes in them check that it is not your shoes or feet that are ruining them. Shoes with rough insteps can ruin a pair of socks with constant friction. If you feet are in really poor condition with rough cracked skin on the heel then they will also ruin socks (and while it pains me to say this... make sure your toe nails are not so long that they are cutting into your socks.) Keeping your feet in good condition will be helping you keep your socks in good condition as well.

If you are in the habit of running outside with your socks on, then stop it. If your children are in the habit of doing this then tell them you will fine them 25 cents every time you see them do it.

As you are buying new socks look for them on sale.If you read through Are Your Socks Making You Poor you know what you need and you can take a bit of time to find them at the best prices. Don't always go for the cheapest option as they are made with inferior materials and washing can sometimes shred them.

A good quality brand will last you much longer but don't buy these brands from Sprawl Mart type stores.  Brand manufacturers will often make special deals with these stores that they will supply them with what looks like their top line product but it is an inferior line made with cheaper materials. The packaging will be just slightly different.

Believe it or not there is sock fashion and at the end of each season retailers want to get rid of the socks they have for the new stock. This can be your best time to pick up bargains. If you find that you generally only wear one type of sock then it makes sense to buy these in bulk when they go on sale. When one wears out you can keep the "spare" until another wears out and make a pair from the two leftovers.

Look to see if there is a sock manufacturer in your neighborhood and if they have an outlet store. Ask to be put on their e-mail list for upcoming sales and clear outs. 

If you buy a quality pair of socks, treat them well and if they just don't last, then complain. Write the company an e-mail outlining your concerns. You might get a coupon for a new pair.