Treating Socks and Stockings with Respect

I love socks. I have socks for most major holidays, with many different animals on them, and for all different purposes. Though there is no problem in this, my immense amount of socks can lead to organizational problems, a difficulty in finding the right pair of socks, and just a general mess. Marie Kondo, in The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up, as usual, offers a simple yet effective solution.

My main way of keeping socks together was by balling them up. I personally thought this was a good method but Kondo strongly disagrees. She states that, “If they are folded over, balled up, or tied, they are always in a state of tension, their fabric stretched and their elastic pulled” (Kondo 81). Looking back, I now understand why so many of my socks needed to be replaced often. Following her strategy would not only have organizational benefits, but also economic ones. By treating your socks with care, you can increase their lifespan, thus saving you money.

If you aren’t allowed to ball up your socks, what are you supposed to do with them? Obviously just throwing them in a drawer won’t solve any problems. Kondo recommends two ways to fold: one for stockings and one for socks.

To fold stockings, “Lay the toes one on top of the other and fold the stocking in half length-wise. Then fold it into thirds, making sure that the toes are inside, not outside, and the waistband protrudes slightly at the top. Finally, roll the stocking up toward the waistband” (Kondo 81-82). I’m not an expert in folding but this is super easy. It’s simply just rolling up the stockings so that they don’t take up a ton of space and make a tangled mess. I was at first worried that they would unroll, but Kondo suggests storing them in a shoe box (Kondo 82). This keeps them in place and all located together, making them easy to find.

Stockings rolled up and placed in a shoebox

Folding socks is even more trouble-free. Put one sock on top of the other and fold to make similar-sized rectangles, changing the number of folds based on the height of the socks (Kondo 82). Though easy, this may take a while, depending on the amount of socks you have. It took me about 30 minutes, but then again, I have way too many socks.

A portion of the folded socks

To finish up, you have to put all of your socks away, which for me is in a drawer. As always, it is best to store them vertically (Kondo 83). No matter what you are storing, it seems that vertical storage is the most space saving and practical way to store things. Now I even have room for more socks.

 

After

This is an incredibly uncomplicated way to organize your socks. It saves time, effort, and room. Also, for someone like me, who owns socks for most holidays, they won’t be completely stretched out when I finally get to wear them each year.

How do you store your socks? Is it effective or does it just stretch them out? Also, if you give this a try, let me know how it works out for you!

Kondo, Marie. The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. Trans. Cathy Hirano. Berkeley: Ten Speed, 2014. Print.