Make filthy socks look gleaming white again with kitchen staple you already have

10 March 2024 , 12:04

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Everybody wants their white socks to gleam again (Stock Image) (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

White socks, when they're first bought, are gleaming white, and after just one wear, it feels like they're condemned to a life of being dirty - but it doesn't have to be that way.

Nobody wants off-white, greyish socks ruining their outfits, but how can you make them look as good as new? No matter how many times you desperately put them on a wash, they just keep coming out stained - but there's a way to make them gleam, and you likely already have the product in your cupboard.

Someone took to Reddit to ask the question on everyone's lips: "How the heck do I keep white socks clean? Especially with chain grease stains?"

They explained that they'd been on a bike ride, ridden through some mud and managed to splash their socks. And then, to make matters worse, they'd rubbed their socks on the chain of the bike to make the socks greasy. "Even after immediately washing at home they are still stained", they explained. They ended the post by asking whether people had "any tips" to help make their socks white again, without them having to buy any more.

Many people suggested using dish soap and rubbing it into the stains before popping into the washing machine. You likely already have this in your kitchen cupboard, but if not, Asda washing-up liquid will set you back only 55p. "Serious suggestion: dish soap. I use it to get chain grease off everything", someone penned. They also said that many washing-up liquids are "specially formulated to deal with grease", The Express reports.

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Another added: "Have found working stain remover into them, then steeping, then washing at 40c or 60c works. So long as you do it ASAP. The exception is if it's been raining and they get muck from the road. Then they are grey for good. Never found a way to undo road grime."

One Redditor said to "soak them by hand in cold water and wash with either blue dish soap or blue detergent (blue cleaners help bring out the white." Then, repeat the process but "add bleach to your water", and "let them sit in the bleach for 20-30 minutes." They claimed that "when you rinse them out they should be as bright as new."

Danielle Kate Wroe