Having 5 young children it seems I am eternally ending up with "onesie" socks. I have been putting them to good use for my little ones by using them as a holder for ice pops and frozen yogurt in plastic sleeves.
Do you ever wonder what happens to the socks that go in a pair and come out a single? Well, instead of doing the sock puppet route, I use them for other things.
I am the proud owner of a large trash bag of widowed and orphaned socks--all colors, all sizes. Although Erma Bombeck would have known where to search for the mates, we've lost her and are on our own. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to use these single socks--or is there anyone who would like this bag for quilting scraps or something? Thanks.
Could you donate them to a daycare or preschool for sock puppet making?
An idea I read on this site, and am planning to try, is to take the longer socks and fill them with fiberfill or other stuffing and use for stopping air leaks at the bottoms of doors. I just haven't gotten around to doing it yet!
Use them to dust! Slip one over your hand, spray and wipe!
If you have a small loom you can cut them into strips(the short way to form loops) and weave pot holders. Another idea is to again cut them the short way and weave a rug. I have done both of these ideas and they work out great.
If you use a food saver and canning jars, slip one over each jar to limit the jars getting broken in the freezer from getting bumped. Also if they do get broken, the pieces are contained in the sock.
If you cut off the feet, they make great legwarmers for babies.
For crafts--sock puppets and also cute animal theme beanbags that are easy for kids to fill and stitch (older kids) or have adult hot glue closed (for younger kids).
For cleaning purposes, I have a bag of odd socks hanging in the laundry room and also a long 1/2" dowel. When the narrow space between my fridge and cabinets gets full of dust that I can see but can't reach, I place a sock over the end of the dowel and secore the top of the sock with a rubber band wrapped tight enough to hold. Then I am able to spray the sock lightly with cleaner and wipe up all the dust and also any spills that have gone down the side of the fridge. I use the dowel and sock under my entertainment center and big pieces of furniture that are hard to get under otherwise. When I'm through, I throw the sock away as there are many more where that one came from.
When we were children Mom saved all of the mis-matched sock for the winter. When we went out side we would double up our socks to keep our feet warm.
I use the socks that have lost their mates to make pet beds. My dogs love to get their new beds stuffed with these socks. They are launderable and fluffy!
Slit them from the toe through the heel and up to the top. Use them for cleaning rags. You can rewash and reuse or use once, and toss them out. I keep a bagful in my woodworking shop to wipe off excess glue or paint spills, etc.
Put potpourri in socks and use as a drawer freshener or can be placed in shoes for a shoe freshener.
Single socks in your drawer? Use socks as pot holders. One fits over the handle of any fry pan and two are great for picking up hot casserole dishes from the oven or microwave.
I have a great tip for those who don't know what to do with those pesky lonely socks and mittens that we all have. I have 3 fantastic girls but they are always losing their mates.
I discovered about a hundred (no kidding) unmatched socks this morning, all of different kinds and sizes. Does anyone have any idea what I can do with them before I'm forced to throw them all away? Most of them are still in pretty good shape, they just lack a partner. Thanks for the ideas! I'm open to anything.
By ramona
I used to recycle old socks by cutting the toe section off, then sliding the sock over my children's bottles, sippy cups, juice boxes or canned drinks. This helps keep little hands from getting cold.
If you have mismatch socks, socks with holes, or the elastic of your socks is stretched out - you can reuse the socks to clean around your house and car.
I cut off the bottom of socks just above the heel to put over my kid's water bottles to soak us the wetness from the bottle sweating. It saves papers, shoes, and whatever else your kids put in their backpack or gym bag from getting soaking wet.
When filling the gas tank on my vehicle I seem to always get the smell of gas on my hands. For years I carried a pair of gloves to wear just for this and slipped them in a plastic bag in between fill ups, now and then I would take them in and wash them.
If you are like me, you are constantly losing the mates to socks in the washer and dryer. Take a pair of your husband's mismatched tube socks and cut it off where the ribbing starts.
This is a page about making a sock snowman. With some simple accessories, you can turn a plain sock into an adorable snowman. They are cute decorations for around the house and make great gifts too.
