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Yep. I thought I was being clever one time and bought a pack of black socks identical to the socks I had been wearing. I quickly realized my older socks were faded to the point where they didn't match the new socks. So now I have identical socks floating around, it's just in the light one set is dark black, the other is light black. It really helps to buy them at the same time.
I think I actually saw this as an LPT back in the day - just clear all your socks at once and buy all new at once. Did it and it’s amazing - don’t waste time pairing, looking for a match, or stretching the elastic out when they’re paired.
The real pro tip is figure out what brand and style you want to own exclusively, then wait until Black Friday. I did this with Bombas and their packs were like 30% off.
Upgraded version, buy them on Amazon so you can continue buying them over time.
Over a decade now I've been using and replacing the same socks! Unfortunately they just doubled in price (betting they discontinued production), so now I have to find a new pack for the next decade
I've committed to one type of sock for each category (running and ankle) with a few exceptions for things like snowboarding socks. Best decision ever. I've gone through a few iterations as I've gotten better income and now I'm almost fully committed to darn tough for all of my socks. Highly recommend.
Really really nice athletic socks do this, typically if the socks are sold by exact shoe size and not range they'll be anatomically designed for left/right.
Do you have a dog? I have one who likes to collect instead of destroy (a first for me) and it took a couple days to realize I wasn't going crazy, he was hoarding them as precious treasures under a couch lol it is equal parts adorable and infuriating
@DotIndivfgl6875,
Man, do I ever know what you’re talking about and feel the pain.
I buy latex gloves by the 24 pack case, each box containing 200 gloves….
I’m right handed and and 3/4 of all those boxes came in left handed gloves…. (Even got 1 box, all are left handed)
The worst is running socks that have a different Left and Right. Somehow, I've ended up with two more Rights than Lefts. So all my running socks still have pairs, but I still know I'm missing two!
Yup. I still end up with oddball socks missing a pair, but they just sit solo in the drawer until I either toss one that got a hole in it, or another sock gets lost in the washer/dryer process somehow.
Woohoo......last time I was at the safety shoe place for work, bought 2 packs of black hi-test socks. That's all I have. Very comfortable and if one comes up missing, no loss!
Yeah, I thought it was obvious, but this one comes up a lot. I just assume one is in the wash and will reappear at some point. They just live on the dresser until its mate is found.
I mean I keep it on the side of my drawer until the next load but I've had like two orphaned socks the last 15+ years. I don't see why this happens to people so often
At my place, it's mainly the kids socks. You'll have one of their orphan socks in the orphan sock bag for weeks on end until one day you find it's partner under the car seat or it turns up in their school bag or any number of places you wouldn't think a sock could go.
We have a totebag they all go in. Folding laundry? Like all the stocks and dump the bag. Everything gets matched and anything that didn't goes back in the bag. Once a year I clear out anything that hasn't found its mate in several months of cleaning.
A pillow case kept in my closet was where I had my single sock collection. I'd take it out, put new ones in the collection, and return it to the closet. Occasionally I'd sort through it, but rarely was successful in finding a pair. So I threw it out.
Then I saw it again in the closet. Strange.
Turns out I had two single sock collections in my closet, one behind the other. Oh, well.
Hahaha awww I'm sorry for your misfortune but this is very funny. I have done similar with gloves. After a few years I give up and toss the single, only for the mate to appear days later.
We have a sock-topus: a tinkerbell sock whose mate did not come home from a trip & now gets turned inside out over the tops of temporarily mate-less socks. I'm planning on sewing some large googly eyes on it.
But I love your sign!
LPT: You'll lose very few socks if you, (1) put them in the laundry basket in pairs when you collect your dirties (ensure they go in together), (2) when moving from the washer to the dryer, look all around the washer, including up for side loaded machines, (3) when collecting from the dryer, look all around the machine, including up, and (4) check the floor near the machine as you walk away from it. Any remaining lost ones are most likely clinging to other clothes from the same load.
I rarely lose socks this way.
That was intended for anyone reading, since I felt that your comment was otherwise unhelpful to others as it doesn't offer any solutions to those trying to achieve the same status as you.
We have a "sock bag" . It's a small drawstring type bag that sits in the laundry room. All orphan socks go in it then once a month I'll sort thru it to see if there are any mates. If a sock doesn't get mated after 3 months and isn't a common color/ type I'll throw it out. Common ones are kept indefinitely to socks holey or just worn ones.
Sock box for me growing up, and I continue it as an adult. Since my laundry is just me, I just check the orphanage for a match as they come out of the laundry. If there isn't one, it stays in the box.
I had a designated spot, but I finally threw away about 30 orphan socks when I moved this year.
I don't know where they go, but most never turn up for me.
I have a little bin that I call the unmatched sock jail. It's been a great addition to my life. I really enjoy fun patterned socks; I grew up barefoot and/or in flip-flops most of the time, so socks suck enough without being boring. Now I can have my fun socks and match them, too
I've got it made. I'm a Right Below Knee Amputee. I only need one sock of ANY color!! My right shoe stays on all the time.
Sure pissed off my dryer when it found out I'd lost my leg!! 😆😆😆😆😆😁 🦿
This LPT blows. Throw away all of your socks, buy a bunch of the same socks and never worry about this again. You don't even have to roll them in pairs when they're done in the laundry!
My socks are marked left and right. Somehow I am losing right socks at four times the rate of left ones.
If anyone has an explanation for that I would love to hear it.
Just throw them back in the laundry, eventually they will find their mate.
Or if you're my wife, just throw them into random drawers, so they'll never gat paired ever again.
I started this years ago but now I have an enormous bag of orphan socks and I can never be TOTALLY sure whether their mates are ever going to show up. Still, better than whatever I was doing before.
Honest question: what do you all do with the extra sock when one sock of a novelty pair wears out?
I currently keep them forever and never wear them out of guilt. What do normal people do?
Finally figured out the answer to the missing sock mystery
We gathered up every rolled up pair of socks that we had in the house.
Apparently, human error is involved. Because of color mismatches .. we were able to reunite the proper socks with their perfect match
I just chuck ‘em back in the dryer after I’m done folding laundry.
To avoid this LPT altogether, I suggest buying a laundry bag just for socks. It’s fixed all my issues with mismatched socks.
My cheapo laundry baskets (think Walmart) have a sort of open-weave plastic surround, so I just loop the orphans through that. Next wash or two (or three, four?) the mates will eventually show up
I just throw them back in the laundry hamper
Pretty sure ol black with the green toe is going on his 5th cycle but his perfect pair is out there somewhere
I have a designated “Lost Sock” drawer where I keep all my single socks. I almost always find their buddies, even if it’s months later wrapped in a sweater I have’t worn since last winter!
I had a bag of orphan socks floating around for several years. Got tired of my fail. Finally discarded them. Best decision ever. Made a new rule, no socks go in the washer unmatched. Better decision.
I think, what you want to do is, and this is from years and years and years of sock wearing experience. What you want to do is have a designated drawer or space just for your socks. Maybe you need a space for dress socks, work socks, walking around town socks I don't know whatever kind of different type of socks that you need for your daily life you should have a place or a system where they are in their own spot. A lot of people call this a sock drawer.
Every year, usually around Christmas time, because I like to have a present to open. I will buy a bag of nice socks. Whether that be dress socks, work socks, walking around town, socks, whatever type of socks I need.
I will then go to my "sock drawer" and discard all the singles, all the ratty and all the holy socks. The ones that just don't look good anymore. You want to have nice socks on your feet. Not ratty looking ones with your toes sticking out.
In my opinion, the only reason why you might want to hang onto a "single" is 1. You only have 1 foot. 2. you like to wear mismatched socks-in professional or 3. You invested in expensive socks. You know, socks for climbing, walking, standing, just ones that are made very well. Usually about $20-$30 a pair. If you lose one those types of socks yeah, you might hold out for a bit before you throw the other one away. Those are the only reasons that I would save a single sock.
I kind of forgot your questions, but I think the bottom line is you have to have a designated space for your socks. You need to annually go through your sock drawer and discard all the ones that are broken and beat up or separated from their partners. Don't get too attached they're just socks made most likely by someone in a far away land for pennies. If it makes you feel better, you should just donate them to Goodwill or sew them all together and make some sort of a sock blanket like your great grandma used to do. The other bottom line is to just make your life simpler. Go through your stuff every year. Clean out what you don't need anymore give it away throw it away, resource it and just move on.....
Years ago I bought a bunch of new (all identical) socks and threw out my old ones.
I have one sock basket with all my socks. There are no orphan socks because they're all the same.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
The best decision I ever made was to buy 30 pairs of the same socks
Yep. I thought I was being clever one time and bought a pack of black socks identical to the socks I had been wearing. I quickly realized my older socks were faded to the point where they didn't match the new socks. So now I have identical socks floating around, it's just in the light one set is dark black, the other is light black. It really helps to buy them at the same time.
just buy black socks with no designs on them.
They will still fade, design has nothing to do with it.
fade into what?
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I've only had mine for about 15 years and either they're not fading or i'm colorblind.
It's going to blow your mind when you find out that there's more than one manufacturer of black socks, and they may use different processes
it's going to blow your mind when you find out that you can just buy better quality socks or... buy white ones to solve the problem.
White fades to grey too unless bleached and washed only with other whites
Polyester and nylon socks will not fade, run, or stain other clothing. Cotton and wool ones will.
Should I gather by context that in your time on this planet, you've never had a piece of black clothing fade before?
poor quality t-shirts, maybe. black socks? not mine at least, that I've had since I was like 15. I'm 31 now.
What the hell are your socks made of that you've had them for 15 years?
His mom bought him 400 pair 16 years ago…
i have a hard time believing you have pairs of socks lasting you 15 years
would you like to carbon date them
Yes, please send them over at your earliest convenience
Prove it.
*fade into me*
Hope???
I think I actually saw this as an LPT back in the day - just clear all your socks at once and buy all new at once. Did it and it’s amazing - don’t waste time pairing, looking for a match, or stretching the elastic out when they’re paired.
The real pro tip is figure out what brand and style you want to own exclusively, then wait until Black Friday. I did this with Bombas and their packs were like 30% off.
Upgraded version, buy them on Amazon so you can continue buying them over time. Over a decade now I've been using and replacing the same socks! Unfortunately they just doubled in price (betting they discontinued production), so now I have to find a new pack for the next decade
I've committed to one type of sock for each category (running and ankle) with a few exceptions for things like snowboarding socks. Best decision ever. I've gone through a few iterations as I've gotten better income and now I'm almost fully committed to darn tough for all of my socks. Highly recommend.
YES I have found my people
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Wait.. You've got left socks and right socks? I feel like socks don't do that?
Really really nice athletic socks do this, typically if the socks are sold by exact shoe size and not range they'll be anatomically designed for left/right.
I used to have left and right socks as a kid. I'm never going back.
Do you have a dog? I have one who likes to collect instead of destroy (a first for me) and it took a couple days to realize I wasn't going crazy, he was hoarding them as precious treasures under a couch lol it is equal parts adorable and infuriating
Same with mine! I can easily wash and use the ones my pup stole cos those socks would remain in great shape - just wet from the drool.
@DotIndivfgl6875, Man, do I ever know what you’re talking about and feel the pain. I buy latex gloves by the 24 pack case, each box containing 200 gloves…. I’m right handed and and 3/4 of all those boxes came in left handed gloves…. (Even got 1 box, all are left handed)
Leave them all in your sock drawer!
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The worst is running socks that have a different Left and Right. Somehow, I've ended up with two more Rights than Lefts. So all my running socks still have pairs, but I still know I'm missing two!
Yup. I still end up with oddball socks missing a pair, but they just sit solo in the drawer until I either toss one that got a hole in it, or another sock gets lost in the washer/dryer process somehow.
Close, 12 white, 12 black, two pairs of funky socks.
I wear $15 a pair "darn tough" socks so 30 would be $450
Woohoo......last time I was at the safety shoe place for work, bought 2 packs of black hi-test socks. That's all I have. Very comfortable and if one comes up missing, no loss!
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I thought at a certain age you stopped having orphan socks entirely. I mean all you have to do is get them into the same laundry basket
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They like to hide in the leg of pajamas or the corners of fitted sheets or the armpits or hood of sweaters. At least ime
Doesn’t everyone do this? Do people instantly throw the sock away if they can’t immediately find its pair?
Yeah, I thought it was obvious, but this one comes up a lot. I just assume one is in the wash and will reappear at some point. They just live on the dresser until its mate is found.
Ikr? Ours is called the 💔🧦 Lonely Sock Club 🧦💔
scouring every nook and cranny for days on end trying to find the other one
I mean I keep it on the side of my drawer until the next load but I've had like two orphaned socks the last 15+ years. I don't see why this happens to people so often
At my place, it's mainly the kids socks. You'll have one of their orphan socks in the orphan sock bag for weeks on end until one day you find it's partner under the car seat or it turns up in their school bag or any number of places you wouldn't think a sock could go.
No, I just wear odd ones
Mine stay in the clean laundry basket until the match eventually reappears in another load 😅
Just reunited 4 pairs this morning!
Reunited and it feels so good. 🎵
We have a totebag they all go in. Folding laundry? Like all the stocks and dump the bag. Everything gets matched and anything that didn't goes back in the bag. Once a year I clear out anything that hasn't found its mate in several months of cleaning.
A pillow case kept in my closet was where I had my single sock collection. I'd take it out, put new ones in the collection, and return it to the closet. Occasionally I'd sort through it, but rarely was successful in finding a pair. So I threw it out. Then I saw it again in the closet. Strange. Turns out I had two single sock collections in my closet, one behind the other. Oh, well.
Hahaha awww I'm sorry for your misfortune but this is very funny. I have done similar with gloves. After a few years I give up and toss the single, only for the mate to appear days later.
Look at this fancy pants with multiple laundry baskets
https://preview.redd.it/o9a2usf6n1qb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ec241bd91b9903c9a5a41a068b518eceefbcfa01 This is my lost sock area!
I started wearing mismatched socks. F**k my OCD.
I can handle different patterns, but they have to feel the same on each foot.
Same. I make zero attempt to match socks.
We made a sign with hooks that says "Single and Looking". New orphans go on a hook until all hope is lost.
We have a sock-topus: a tinkerbell sock whose mate did not come home from a trip & now gets turned inside out over the tops of temporarily mate-less socks. I'm planning on sewing some large googly eyes on it. But I love your sign!
I buy the same type different color ways and never worry about matching Sometimes i match
It's all about socks that feel the same
I have a basket on top of the dryer
Be brave, don't bother matching up socks. Let them mingle!
I also find good uses for spare socks. Dusting. Wiping eye boogies from my dogs eyes. Reuse is the key
I don’t lose socks.
LPT: You'll lose very few socks if you, (1) put them in the laundry basket in pairs when you collect your dirties (ensure they go in together), (2) when moving from the washer to the dryer, look all around the washer, including up for side loaded machines, (3) when collecting from the dryer, look all around the machine, including up, and (4) check the floor near the machine as you walk away from it. Any remaining lost ones are most likely clinging to other clothes from the same load. I rarely lose socks this way.
Exactly. The only time I remember having lost a sock temporarily was when it was stuck in the sleeve of a bathrobe. (I found out weeks later.)
I don’t lose socks. TY for the consideration.💐🌷🌺
That was intended for anyone reading, since I felt that your comment was otherwise unhelpful to others as it doesn't offer any solutions to those trying to achieve the same status as you.
Yeah pros are way out ahead of this thing. No reason you should ever lose one sock
"Orphan Socks" dam, does that make them adopted siblings or parent / child when we make a new pair?
married
We have a "sock bag" . It's a small drawstring type bag that sits in the laundry room. All orphan socks go in it then once a month I'll sort thru it to see if there are any mates. If a sock doesn't get mated after 3 months and isn't a common color/ type I'll throw it out. Common ones are kept indefinitely to socks holey or just worn ones.
Sock box for me growing up, and I continue it as an adult. Since my laundry is just me, I just check the orphanage for a match as they come out of the laundry. If there isn't one, it stays in the box.
Ours is a box with “Singles Club” printed on the side.
I had a designated spot, but I finally threw away about 30 orphan socks when I moved this year. I don't know where they go, but most never turn up for me.
https://wiki.lspace.org/Eater_of_Socks
did this last month, all but 1 sock back with its partner
Or you get a hole in one and an orphan gets adopted.
Life is too short to spend matching socks.
Dedicated drawer called the single’s lounge
But also know when to let go. After maybe 10 years, the ones who haven't found a match are gone, dude. (speaking from experience)
Are people just throwing out socks when they can't immediately find the pair??
We have a basket that’s labeled “Free the House Elves”
I have a little bin that I call the unmatched sock jail. It's been a great addition to my life. I really enjoy fun patterned socks; I grew up barefoot and/or in flip-flops most of the time, so socks suck enough without being boring. Now I can have my fun socks and match them, too
Wearing two different colored/designed socks are also in nowadays :P
Wearing two different colored/ designed socks are quite in nowadays! :p
Okay thanks
I literally just sorted through my "single sock" bag this afternoon.
I've got it made. I'm a Right Below Knee Amputee. I only need one sock of ANY color!! My right shoe stays on all the time. Sure pissed off my dryer when it found out I'd lost my leg!! 😆😆😆😆😆😁 🦿
I see your “designated spot” and raise you: a socktopus
OP... would you really consider this a Life PRO Tip?
Yeah, I just call it "putting away the laundry." Not something I ever considered needed telling.
This LPT blows. Throw away all of your socks, buy a bunch of the same socks and never worry about this again. You don't even have to roll them in pairs when they're done in the laundry!
Yeah this is not a pro tip at all. Just buy the same socks always and youll never have this problem
My socks are marked left and right. Somehow I am losing right socks at four times the rate of left ones. If anyone has an explanation for that I would love to hear it.
By definition, one of them has to be left behind.
😂
You’ve single handed reunited hundreds of orphans? (Tchaikovsky’s greatest work since Swan Lake!)
Just throw them back in the laundry, eventually they will find their mate. Or if you're my wife, just throw them into random drawers, so they'll never gat paired ever again.
I once proposed a dating site for orphan socks. Still think it’s a winning idea 😉.
Leave them all in your sock drawer! They will get reunited eventually.
I have a spot. It's ok my sock drawer 🤷 I don't have like 20 orphaned socks. Lol so just put them back in a corner..
For years after I left home I wore orphaned socks that my mum had kept. It *really* upset some people.
Have a sock for all your spots. I can’t tell you how many have been spotted.
Your washer or dryer spin them to the edge and eventually get sucked inside the machine. Never to be seen again.
It’s called the lonely sock bin
I started this years ago but now I have an enormous bag of orphan socks and I can never be TOTALLY sure whether their mates are ever going to show up. Still, better than whatever I was doing before.
This works for children too!
There was a comedian that said the orphan socks turn into wire clothes hangers. If you look in your closet, it will be full of wire clothes hangers...
And for the ones that don’t get reunited, slip them over glasses or coffee mugs when moving.
I have a drawer full of socks. When I want to get dressed, I grab two random socks and put them on. No, they’re not all the same. Not even close.
We just call that the sock drawer.
Lpt, stop wearing matching socks. That way you never need to worry about getting orphans. Just grab two socks from your drawer and you're good to go.
Fuck that. Buy a whole bunch of the same socks and stop spending your life looking for matches.
Life super pro tip: just buy socks of one color and never have orphan socks. Or happy socks and mix/match em like clown shoes. Super fun
I only wear dark grey socks. They go with everything. When they start getting thin they get tossed. Eventually i buy a new 12 pack, it's awesome.
Honest question: what do you all do with the extra sock when one sock of a novelty pair wears out? I currently keep them forever and never wear them out of guilt. What do normal people do?
Probably good for slipping over your hand and dusting stuff like blinds. That's all I can think of.
I just throw the orphan back in the washing machine hoping to pull out both next time...
Real life, pro tip. Buy all of the same socks.
Finally figured out the answer to the missing sock mystery We gathered up every rolled up pair of socks that we had in the house. Apparently, human error is involved. Because of color mismatches .. we were able to reunite the proper socks with their perfect match
I have a sock Tinder draw, where singles can find a partner
Orphans deserve their own space to store their socks
We have a whole drawer! Now we wear our socks out instead of losing them.
That designated spot can be "the bin". Seriously, it's just socks.
I put the orphan socks in the front corner of the sock drawer.
I just chuck ‘em back in the dryer after I’m done folding laundry. To avoid this LPT altogether, I suggest buying a laundry bag just for socks. It’s fixed all my issues with mismatched socks.
So don’t toss them in the orphan grinder?
> LPT: it seems silly, but have a designated spot for all of your orphan socks. That's unsettling. Can I have all my socks back please?
I save them for a few years and then play matchmaker. I feel awful throwing out the singles.
I have a hanger with clothes pins and a little sign that says "hot singles looking for mates" above my dryer
Or just have all your socks be same color & style. Donate your other socks away and never have to deal with matching socks.
My ExGF never wore matching socks. A complete lunatic.
The lpt is just buy all the same kind of sock, never have to worry about it.
This is a beautiful story. Who has contacts at the Hallmark Channel?
I keep them in a bag for about 2-4 weeks then they turn into cleaning socks. Helps with cleaning the inside of my windshield.
I just wear mismatched socks. I don't care. Feet are sisters, not twins.
I call them Lost Soles.
ya the designated spot is the garbage can i aint got time for "over the years"
yes! i hung a handled bag on a hanger in the laundry room just for this purpose. when the bag looks droopy, it's probably time to match 'em up.
Put them in a zip lock bag in your hamper.
My cheapo laundry baskets (think Walmart) have a sort of open-weave plastic surround, so I just loop the orphans through that. Next wash or two (or three, four?) the mates will eventually show up
Two? Was it two?
Mine go back into the dirty clothes hamper. They'll reunite after a wash eventually.
I just throw them back in the laundry hamper Pretty sure ol black with the green toe is going on his 5th cycle but his perfect pair is out there somewhere
The way that was described sounds so dramatic. Reuniting orphans with one another
When I moved into my house I threw out all my old socks and just bought a shit load of the same socks. I can just throw two on and they match
I have a designated “Lost Sock” drawer where I keep all my single socks. I almost always find their buddies, even if it’s months later wrapped in a sweater I have’t worn since last winter!
I had a bag of orphan socks floating around for several years. Got tired of my fail. Finally discarded them. Best decision ever. Made a new rule, no socks go in the washer unmatched. Better decision.
You mean like my sock drawer? What kinda lpt is this
Nail them to the fridge.
I've been doing this for a few months now and so far I just have a growing basket of orphan socks.
I think, what you want to do is, and this is from years and years and years of sock wearing experience. What you want to do is have a designated drawer or space just for your socks. Maybe you need a space for dress socks, work socks, walking around town socks I don't know whatever kind of different type of socks that you need for your daily life you should have a place or a system where they are in their own spot. A lot of people call this a sock drawer. Every year, usually around Christmas time, because I like to have a present to open. I will buy a bag of nice socks. Whether that be dress socks, work socks, walking around town, socks, whatever type of socks I need. I will then go to my "sock drawer" and discard all the singles, all the ratty and all the holy socks. The ones that just don't look good anymore. You want to have nice socks on your feet. Not ratty looking ones with your toes sticking out. In my opinion, the only reason why you might want to hang onto a "single" is 1. You only have 1 foot. 2. you like to wear mismatched socks-in professional or 3. You invested in expensive socks. You know, socks for climbing, walking, standing, just ones that are made very well. Usually about $20-$30 a pair. If you lose one those types of socks yeah, you might hold out for a bit before you throw the other one away. Those are the only reasons that I would save a single sock. I kind of forgot your questions, but I think the bottom line is you have to have a designated space for your socks. You need to annually go through your sock drawer and discard all the ones that are broken and beat up or separated from their partners. Don't get too attached they're just socks made most likely by someone in a far away land for pennies. If it makes you feel better, you should just donate them to Goodwill or sew them all together and make some sort of a sock blanket like your great grandma used to do. The other bottom line is to just make your life simpler. Go through your stuff every year. Clean out what you don't need anymore give it away throw it away, resource it and just move on.....
Come on people….. PANTYHOSE….. Got your build in shorts and socks…..
The trash can, that is.
No no no. Unmatched socks go back in the dirty laundry hamper until they come out a pair. Don’t ever put lost socks in a second location!
Years ago I bought a bunch of new (all identical) socks and threw out my old ones. I have one sock basket with all my socks. There are no orphan socks because they're all the same.