How to take care of your socks?

The Sock Care Guide

Taking care of your socks helps preserve their appearance and extend their lifespan. Here are some simple and effective tips for caring for your mid-calf or knee-high socks, whether they are made of cotton, wool, silk, linen, or cashmere.

Washing socks in the machine: good or bad idea?

Hand washing is often recommended for delicate clothing to avoid damage. While it's also suitable for socks, machine washing is perfectly safe for most materials.

Generally, wash at 30°C with a spin cycle under 800 rpm. Delicate cycles with gentler spinning and less aggressive motion are ideal.

Low-temperature washing effectively cleans socks while preserving fibers, colors, and elasticity.

Material-specific recommendations:

Merino wool: our wools are pretreated to withstand machine washing up to 40°C. This eliminates the risk of shrinkage, though we still recommend low-temperature washing.

Cashmere: this luxurious, warm wool is more delicate than merino. Use the gentlest cycles (cold, low or no spin). When in doubt, opt for a short hand wash. It is naturally hypoallergenic and resists dirt.

Silk: care is similar to cashmere, though silk is less prone to felting. It’s best hand washed in cold water with very mild detergent.

Note: We highly recommend using a laundry net for your socks. It prevents rubbing against zippers or velcro, which can damage fibers.

Nets are also practical for keeping sock pairs together – especially useful for invisible socks.

Choosing detergent for socks

Use a gentle detergent without bleach or harsh softeners. Avoid bleach, especially for wool or silk socks.

Fabric softener is often unnecessary:

• Lisle cotton retains its crisp feel over time.
  
  
• Linen softens with every wash.
  
  
• Cashmere and merino wool stay soft thanks to lanolin in the fibers. If they lose softness, use lanolin-enriched wool detergent.
  
  
• Unmercerized cotton wears out faster with fabric softener.

Drying: air-dry your socks!

Tumble drying is discouraged. It weakens fibers, reduces elasticity, fades color, and causes shrinkage—especially in natural fibers.

Instead, lay socks flat or drape them over a rack out of direct sunlight to prevent fading.

Additional care

Do not iron your socks. The knit resets naturally after wear. Wash before first use to remove any post-manufacturing press.

Fold or roll your socks for storage. Consider sorting by material—cotton and linen for summer, wool and cashmere for winter.