No one has ever really solved the mystery of what happens to socks when they enter the washer. They go in the laundry as a pair but often come out as a single. You might not know the answer to the problematic mystery but I can tell you that those single socks don’t have to be thrown out just because their mates are gone. Instead, turn them into new and useful things for your home and family. Those socks can save you money on your heating and cooling bill, help you with sore muscles and even keep your baby busy for hours!
Keep cold or warm air from escaping under doors by creating a door blocker from a tube sock. Stuff the sock with cotton, rags, pillow stuffing or even wadded up grocery bags. If one sock isn’t long enough to go all the way across the door use a second one. To do this, stuff one sock completely and one partially. Pull the partially-filled sock over the opening of the full sock and glue them together. The simple wind blocker will cut down on your heating and cooling bills by preventing the escape of the air under the door. Most wind blockers, though, are a lot of hassle. You have to reposition them over the crack under the door each and every time you open the door. To prevent that simply use some double-sided tape to secure the tube socks to the bottom edge of the door. Now when you open and shut the door the wind blocker will stay attached.
Relax sore muscles by making a heat pad from an ordinary sock. Use a long tube sock to make a pad that can be wrapped around your neck. Or, use a smaller sock to make a pad that can be set on a knee, elbow or other area. Fill the sock with rice or dry beans and tie the end shut. You can tie the sock in a knot, wrap a rubber band around it or even use a piece of string. Or, glue the opening shut with ordinary adhesives. Warm the sock in the microwave for a short period of time to heat the pad then place it on the sore muscles. Re-warm the sock as needed and use it again and again.
Make an ice pack for sore muscles by starting with a sock and a zipper-lock bag. Fill the bag partially full of water and zip it shut. Lower it into the sock then seal the end of the sock by gluing it or tying it shut. Place in the freezer and remove it when needed.
You don’t have to go out and buy expensive dog toys if you have a single tube sock around the house. Dogs love to chew on socks with knots tied in them and will spend hours doing just that. Simply tie two or more knots along the length of the sock leaving a space between each one. Toss the finished toy on the floor and watch your dog play for hours. Make a variation of the sock toy by first placing a ball or other toy inside. Small balls with bells inside and similar items are ideal. Place one in the sock, tie a knot, then add another, then tie another knot. This toy will get hours of attention as well.
Make something similar for a baby and he or she will love it. Take a small sock and fill it with bells or similar items. Use non-toxic glue to seal the sock shut. Baby will grab, hold and shake the noisemaker sock that’s easy as pie to make.
Make a different toy for an older child by using a dressy knee-hi sock. Cut the center of the sock and remove the foot area as well as the upper binding. Slide this sock section over a toilet paper roll and tuck the excess sock in at each end. Place rice, beans, bells or other items inside. Glue a disk cut from a piece of flat foam on one end, add the noisemakers, then glue a second disk onto the opposite end. Kids can shake these noisemakers to have loads of fun.
Make a teething toy by starting with a sock tied in knots. This sock can be dampened and placed in the refrigerator to cool. A teething child will get relief from those throbbing gums by gnawing on the cold knots in the sock.
Little kids can find it difficult to hold a washcloth and rub soap on it. Instead, place the bar of soap in a small sock and tie it shut with a rubber band. Now kids can simply rub the soapy sock all over to get clean.
Socks are something everyone has in their homes, and for the most part, we all have a sock which has lost its mate. Use those single socks to create all sorts of new and useful things in your home rather than throwing them away. There are many unique ways to use a single sock when you go to the dryer and find that the mystery rages on and the sock has lost its match.
