Lay out your sock collection on the floor. Separate pairs of socks by color, style, length, and occasion, and fold accordingly. Lastly, use drawer dividers for easy organization.
Organizing socks doesn’t take too much time but saves you time in the future when figuring out your outfits.
Below, I will teach you how to sort through your socks. I will also share methods you can use to keep them organized.
Some of the methods include organizing by color, style, length, occasion, or season, so let’s learn all the details.
What is the Best Way to Organize Your Sock Drawer?
I’ve read somewhere that damaged socks attract negative energy and poverty in the home. I’m not a superstitious person, but ever since I received that information, I’ve been discarding damaged socks.
And this practice actually helped me keep track of my socks. At least once a month, I go through my socks and toss damaged ones, while organizing the rest in different manners.
Organizing socks became a regular thing that helps me economize space and clear my mind. And I’ve realized that my organizing sock technique changes over time as socks come and go, so there’s not a specific way to organize a sock drawer.
Still, most people agree that keeping your drawer in any order that works for you is one of the easiest ways to organize socks.
In this section, I will share detailed steps on how to organize your socks in many ways. I will also share different techniques on how to keep your socks organized at all times, so you don’t have to repeat the same process over and over again.
Start by Purging
The first thing you usually do with most organizing projects is purging. So, go ahead and empty your drawer(s), then decide which socks you want to keep.
If it’s been a while since the last time you’ve cleaning your drawer, you may be stunned at what’s been hiding in the back of your drawer(s).
And you probably have way more socks than you initially thought, so toss socks with a hole or stain as well as socks that don’t have a mate.
If you end up with a big pile of socks that you’ve never worn and know you won’t wear in the future, consider donating them (I will discuss donation in the next points).
The “purge” ensures that once you get to the organizing stage, you’re managing socks that you need, and getting rid of socks that take up space in your sock drawer(s).
Clean Your Sock Drawer
After you remove all the socks, clean your drawer(s) using paper towels. I personally use wet wipes because they’re more effective at removing dirt. If you store your sock in a container, clean the container either with wet wipes or a vacuum cleaner.
Group Single Socks Together
As you’re grouping your socks with their designated match, place all the singles in a pile. Once you’re done, see if any of the singles within the pile match.
Socks that don’t have a match can be tossed, used as rags, or turned into fun crafts such as hand puppets. I personally save all the singles in a separate container for a while in case I find any of the missing socks hiding around the house.
Toss Stained and/or Damaged Socks
I would highly suggest that you toss any socks with holes and/or stains. Also, throw away super stretched-out socks.
Otherwise, you will end up with a bunch of socks that you won’t wear anyway. They will only take up precious space in your drawer.
If you have newer socks with bleach stains or clean socks with large holes, consider using them as cleaning rags.
Donate Socks You no Longer Wear to Goodwill
You can donate or recycle socks that don’t fit you anymore or socks that aren’t your favorite. The same goes for socks that you haven’t put on in the past few months.
Keep in mind that Goodwill accepts socks and recycles them into new items. In the past, they used to toss donated socks but nowadays, you can actually take socks in good condition to Goodwill instead of tossing them.
I personally keep socks I need daily or enjoy wearing in my free time and donate the rest. You can do the same or keep all socks in a good state.
Lastly, keep festive socks that you like but only wear during the holidays, as they’re probably in good condition.
Fold Your Socks Neatly
After rolling my socks into balls for many years, I’ve come to realize that this method actually stretches out the elastic. Today, I placed socks on top of their match and folded the stack in half once, and then in half again if they’re longer.
Folding socks not only provides a more aesthetically-pleasing look in the drawer but also keeps the socks from getting damaged.
Also, depending on their length, you may need to fold your socks more than twice or just once if they’re low-cut socks.
Overall, aim for a rectangle when folding your socks.
Organize by Color
Sorting your socks by color will make it easy to find what you’re looking for.
Therefore, gather all the white socks, black socks, dark-colored socks, light-colored socks, and multi-colored socks into different groups so that they’re all set for a sock drawer.
If you have a bunch of multi-colored socks, you can organize those by color as well, such as yellows, blues, greens, reds, or patterned socks.
Organize by Occasion
I wear black or white low-cut socks for almost every occasion and ignore the rest of my socks. If you’re not like me and you wear different socks for different occasions, you can easily sort them by occasion.
You can make a pile of socks that you wear at school, another pile that’s suitable for winter, and another one that includes various patterns on the socks for holidays.
I’m just throwing suggestions at you and you can either use any of the suggestions or determine which groupings would work best for you and start organizing.
You can also place your daily socks at the front of your sock drawer and leave those that you don’t wear very frequently at the back.
Stock Similar Socks on Top of One Another
Stack your socks on top of one another if you have a lot of socks even after purging.
Therefore, if you would like to be able to observe all of your socks at once, lay them on their sides. That way, you can easily choose which ones you want for the day.
Moreover, you can also stack similar socks such as black, white, or patterned socks on top of one another.
Store Your Socks in Neat Rows in Small Drawers
If you have small drawers, you can store your socks in neat rows. That way, you will save precious space.
Simply place your socks in your drawer so that the edge of the fold is displayed and organize them inside according to their grouping.
If you don’t have many different types of socks, placing them directly into your sock drawer is a great organizing technique.
Use Baskets and Dividers to Keep Your Socks Organized
The easiest way to keep your socks organized is by using baskets or dividers. They come in different sizes. The best part? They’re affordable.
If you opt for baskets, you can store groupings of socks in separate baskets. Or put individual pairs of neatly folded socks in each part of a divider if you prefer dividers. You can even make your own baskets for sock drawers using shoe boxes.
If you have a lot of different types of socks, or if you’re using one large drawer with other things such as lingerie besides socks in it, using a box, basket, or divider can make organizing your drawer much easier.
Look For Alternative Storage Solutions
If you have a bunch of socks and little drawer space, don’t worry.
You can use other storage solutions such as over-the-door hanging organizers with clear plastic pockets. They’re affordable organizational tools that you can easily buy online or in home goods stores.
In my opinion, they’re the ideal alternative for storing socks.
Other things you can use include cardboard boxes, plastic containers, cubes, bins, or baskets. I personally prefer plastic containers because they’re clear, so you can see your socks and quickly grab any pair you need.
FAQs On How To Organize Sock Drawer
How Do You Fold Socks So They Stay Together?
Lay out your pair of socks on top of one another and roll the socks from the toes up. Keep on rolling tightly until you reach the top. Once you get there, pull the outer cuff over the top and around the rolled socks and you’re done.
How To Store Socks Without Drawers?
If you don’t have a dedicated drawer for socks, you can keep them in the corners of regular drawers. Or you can buy a fabric storage box with dividers and hide it under your bed. Wire bins make a great sock storage solution as well.
