How to Wash & Care for Wool Socks

Washing wool is easy and actually requires less frequent washing. How?

Wool is a natural fibre so it comes with it’s own natural stain and odor resistance so your socks stay fresher for longer. The fantastic benefit of this, apart from saving you time and work, is that it means wool is gentle on the planet. Simply air your socks overnight and they should be good to go the very next day – this is great when travelling, saving on washing and packing more pairs of socks!

When it does come time to wash your wool socks we have taken the mystery out of it with a quick 'how to' guide on washing and caring for your wool socks.

How to Wash Wool Socks
To put it simply, Wool Socks are usually not 100% wool. Instead, they are made by combining wool with another fabric, usually at an 80:20 ratio. So you need to care for your wool but also be mindful that other fabrics need some consideration as well.

1.  The Fool Proof Way - Machine Wash
Most washing machines these days have a ‘wool’ setting – this takes the guess work out of washing and caring for your beautiful socks. As a rule the wool setting should not use a temperature over 40 degrees Celsius, ideally cool or body temperature water is best. If your washing machine doesn’t have a wool setting opt for a gentle or hand wash pre-programmed setting and ensure the water is lukewarm, of if you have limited control over the temperature opt for cold over hot.

2.  Hand Wash
If you like to hand wash your wool socks, the process is still fairly simple.

• Squeeze mild soap onto a washcloth and gently dab at the socks without scrubbing. We like Earth’s Choice washing liquid as it’s ethical, Australian made and the bottles are made from recycled plastic
• Rinse the socks well in lukewarm water. You can agitate the water a little to ensure the suds are penetrating the sock, or, if time poor, you can leave the socks to soak for 10 minutes or so
• Place your socks on a clean towel and press them gently with the towel folded over the top of them to remove any excess water. Resist the temptation to ring or squeeze the socks as it will stretch and alter their shape
• Air dry the socks flat on a dry towel

Happy Washing!