where do socks go? 9 common places to find your missing socks

Where, oh where, have those little socks gone?! No matter how hard we try to keep track of them in the wash, it’s not uncommon for a few stragglers to wander off with every load. 

Did the monster that lives under the dryer eat them? Perhaps they left to start a new life with a new family ... or maybe they’re simply stuck inside a pair of your underwear. Start your search in these nine common places to find your missing socks. You’d be surprised where they often end up!

1. they’re stuck in the washing machine or dryer.

When the washer spins your clothes, sometimes smaller items (like your bras or funky socks) can get wedged behind the laundry drum. To check for hidden socks here, pull back on the seal between the machine and the drum and spin the drum around and around. You might be able to see if there’s something wedged in there. If your lint trap is located in the front of the dryer, pull it out and check to see if any socks have migrated into the space below. Always unplug your machines before pulling anything out of them!

2. they’ve gotten lodged into a crevice in your laundry room.

If you have limited space to prepare your laundry, it’s very possible a few pairs fell out of your hands as you were loading or unloading. Socks can easily slip behind or between machines kind of like crumbs between the stove and the counter. If you can’t see between spaces, consider sticking a slim object, like a broom or ruler, in the crevice to try to pull any potential orphan socks out.

3. they accidentally ended up in someone else’s laundry bin.

If you go to the laundromat or share a laundry room in a common building space, a neighbor could have very well accidentally picked up a loose sock that overstayed its welcome in the dryer. While you don’t necessarily have to post a “MISSING” sign in the laundry room, you could always ask around the next time you bump into someone there.

4. they’re wrapped up in or clinging to your other clothes.

When clothes run through the dryer, they can start to stick together, resulting in that sparky feeling you get when you pull them apart (static cling!). It’s easy for socks to get trapped inside your other laundry since they’re so small. Be sure you’re shaking out all of your clothes before you fold them to avoid a pair of rainbow socks dropping out of your pants at work one day.

5. they’re currently stored in the wrong drawer.

Life gets busy, and folding laundry takes a long time. While you were in a rush, you might have simply placed your favorite pair of crazy socks in the wrong drawer. If your dresser is overfilled, smaller pieces of clothing (like your socks!) can sometimes get pushed back behind each drawer or fall to a lower drawer underneath or onto the floor.

6. they rolled under your bed and stayed there.

If you fold your laundry in your bedroom, it’s easy for a sock to slip away when you dump the clean bin out onto your bed, or to have a full pair roll off onto the floor while you’re folding. Always check underneath the bed to see if strays have made their way there.

7. they’re in your pet’s bed because they’ve become their new favorite toy.

Some dogs are sock thieves and we don’t blame ’em. Socks are stretchy, fun and smell like you — –making them the perfect candidate for your pet’s new favorite plaything! If you’re missing a sock (or five), you might want to check your pet’s bed to see whether they have a stash hidden within their blankets.

8. they got left inside your shoes.

If the first thing you do when you get home is take off your shoes and socks, then you may have accidentally left them inside your shoes instead of placing them into the laundry bin. If you have a significant other who always complains of missing socks, you might want to encourage them to check their shoes, too.

9. they’ve all turned into extra tupperware lids that don’t fit any of your containers.

OK, PL, so this one’s a joke that’s been going around for years, but it’s really hard to believe there’s not at least a little bit of truth to it!

time for some new socks?

Once you’ve checked all these common places to find your missing socks and haven’t found anything, there’s unfortunately a chance that they may never reappear. If you find you’ve built up too large a collection of orphan socks, it might finally be time to invest in some new pairs!