I have a confession. While most people dread a big batch of mismatched socks, I have a little thrill that runs through my body each time I do laundry. There is something satisfying about matching two lost socks to make a pair. BUT the ones I can’t find a match for drive me crazy! So I had a find a way to reuse socks that didn’t have a mate or that my kids had outgrown.
10 Ideas to Reuse Socks in FUN but Practical Ways
1. Exercise Armbands – These are a little expensive to buy so make your own with an old tube sock! Cut off the toe of the sock, slide it up your arm and and then fold the sock up to create a pocket where you can put your phone, music device or even energy packets during your run or at the gym. If you want to make it more permanent you could sew two lines to make a individualized pocket for your items.
2. Household Cleaning – Put your hand on a old sock (preferably one without holes!) and you have the best tool for cleaning. Wipe down your blinds, clean mirrors and scrub cabinets and then throw it in the laundry or the trash depending on how dirty it is!
3. Moving Glasses or Breakables – Cover your glasses or smaller items that you don’t want to get broken with individual socks during a move. They help separate and cushion your breakables while being transported.
4. Bean Bag Toss – Create your own fun by turning socks into bean bags. Cut the ankle tube part off from the rest of the sock and turn it inside out. Sew one end completely shut and the other end leave about 2 inches open on the other side. Flip it inside out again, fill it with beans, sew it shut and let the games begin! This is a great project for kids and beginning sewers.
5. The Perfect Bun – Some of you were born with hair that forms into the perfect bun. For those of us who were not that lucky we can fake it with a men’s sock. Cut the toe off the sock and roll the sock inward so that it looks like a bagel. Put your hair into a ponytail and pull the bagel through your hair. Spread your hair around the sock tube and start rolling your hair down towards your head. Roll until you reach the base of your ponytail and then tuck in any stragglers. Use bobby pins to secure your hair in place and you’ve got the perfect bun in seconds with sock!
6. Muscle Relaxing Packs – Fill a sock with white rice and sew it shut. Warm it in the microwave for a minute or two with a glass of water on the side so it doesn’t dry out after multiple uses. Then it’s ready to ease your body aches, pain or soreness. I also like to use it as a warmer on those cold winter nights. It can be used as an ice pack when you store it in a large freezer bag and put it in your freezer.
7. Duster – Don’t have a microfiber cloth? No problem! Slip a sock over your hand and start dusting. It works great for televisions, computer monitors and those hard to reach corners in the bookshelf.
8. Polish Shoes – Old socks make great shoe polishers. And the best part is you can use a clean sock to shine the shoe after polishing! When they get stained you don’t feel bad about grabbing another sock and throwing the soiled one away!
9. Garden Soap Holders – Gardening can be dirty. Put a bar of soap into the bottom of an old sock and tie a knot securing the soap in the sock. Tie the long part of the sock onto a faucet in the garden so it will be easy access to clean up after you are done.
10. Hand Puppets – All of us are looking for ways to keep our kids occupied this summer. Reuse socks and extra craft materials to make sock puppets. It’s a great way to break into the creative zone and hours of entertainment.
How do you reuse socks at your house?
My little bro made a massager for my back out of a sock. He put two tennis balls in it and put a know in the end of the sock.
Lie on the floor, place the sock with the tennis balls on either side of your spine and roll your back along the balls.
Place at the spine between the shoulders and roll yourself along pushing with your feet.
Feels great and with the device situated at your lower back you can raise your knees and move them slowly left to right to help back pain.
Works especially well for single people or would rather not pay for massages.
I put my glasses in them to carry around in my purse so they won’t get scratched.
I do the rice bags for my husband, but I add camomile to it as well. It knocks him right out once I put it on his shoulders. I’m literally hearing him snore in under five minutes even when he is sitting up. They are great!
I make dryer balls with leftover socks. I roll socks up into a tight ball, adding a sock or two as needed, until it is the size of a tennis ball, then stitch it closed with a needle and thread, and viola! I’ve been making them for family and friends for some time. About 5 or 6 dryer balls to a load cuts down on drying time significantly and my laundry has less wrinkles. The balls just stay in the dryer. My preference is old wool and cotton socks.
Great idea!
I make rice socks – fill with dry white rice kernels, sew or tie tightly shut, and microwave for about a minute. Great instant heating pad for all that ails you!
Rice socks are awesome!
I put ice into plastic bags then put them into the socks to use for for injuries. They are perfect and flexible to use on all of our odd-shaped limbs.
I will remember that one!
We use them to clean our horse’s face and apply fly spray. The horse loves it.