Where do the lost socks go?

There are various theories on the question that thousands of people ask themselves every week. Namely, where do the lost socks go? Some of the viral thesis you can find on social networks. Others are more scientific. In today’s article, we will get acquainted with them.

Wednesday night

You arrive from work and see a pile of clothes waiting for the washing machine. You have no choice. It’s time to wash them, or tomorrow the shirts will start to run out. After a quick and careless thrust into the drum of this gigantic mountain of textiles, you close, and the wait begins. Everything seems normal. About an hour later, the rotation of the drum is nearing completion, and the soap bubbles disappear. You start taking out the clothes from the washing machine and

Surprise, surprise!

Although it seems impossible, when you open the door of the washing machine, you realize that there are missing socks again. Where did the socks get lost? Why is only one of your favourite pairs of socks missing? All questions without answers, although the mystery of the lost sock has puzzled people for decades.

Therefore, let us try to unravel the mystery.

Where do the lost socks go?

According to a study that Samsung made some years ago, 84 million socks disappear every year only in the United Kingdom, representing an economic loss of 2,000 million pounds or about 2,367 million euros.

That’s why psychologist Simon Moore and statistician Jeff Ellis created the stocking loss index. It is a very complex mathematical formula, according to which four main factors cause socks to get lost in the washing machine:

1. optical illusion,
2. our disinterest in not looking for them beyond the washing machine,
3. we don’t like having to wash and
4. if we live with more people, we tend to confuse socks when we fold them.

It is also worth noting the conclusion of statistician Victor Nirdhofer from an article in the Daily Speculations. If you have 20 socks, or ten different pairs, after losing the first sock, the chances of the second sock ruining another pair are 18 out of 19, compared to 1 out of 19 if it is a sock from the same pair. That is, if you do not buy new socks for a long time, you are very likely to find yourself with a drawer full of mismatched socks, which usually happens to most of us.

Where are our socks hiding?

As already mentioned, your socks can be in the washing machine. There are slots under the rubber bands of the washing machine through which the socks can slide perfectly during washing. Thus, your socks will be “hidden” in a “secret drawer” inside the machine. Therefore, to restore them, you will need to disassemble the drum and this way, you will gain access to this hiding place.

On the other hand, many socks end up behind or under furniture, while others fall off as you hang out the laundry.

Our tips

Of course, if you take proper care of your socks, it’s harder to make them disappear without a trace. Therefore, we recommend that you combine the socks before washing. We can put them in mesh bags, for example.

Finally, we hope, with this article, we have answered the question: where do the lost socks go? Help your friends find their favourite sock by sharing the post with them.