Dirty Socks
So, after a day of wearing your wonderful, handknit socks . . . what do you do with them?
Sock-washing is one of the topics that came up on Saturday. Kim lets them pile up and then does a big wash of bunches of them. Risa uses the Harlot’s method of wearing them into the shower, thereby avoiding “laundry” altogether.
I still like my method best. When I get ready for my shower at night and take my socks off, I fill up the sink with a some woolwash like Soak, a drop of shampoo, or a squirt of conditioner.
Then, while I’m in the shower, the socks soak. It’s that simple.
By the time I’m done with my shower, the socks are clean. I gently wring out the water and hang them in the shower to dry. I used to lay them flat on a towel on the counter, but Chappy enjoyed trying to steal that (grin). The hang-to-dry method is safer for the socks.
And, that’s it. I can’t really imagine an easier method, not really. Soaking them while I’m in the shower takes care of the hard part, and they dry themselves with no additional effort from me. All I have to do is fill up the sink in the first place, and then remember to drain it and take the socks out. Not really that much of a strain on my mental resources, you know? And my socks are always clean, since I wash them the day I wear them, and there’s never a pile of dirty socks waiting to be cleaned. AND it is so simple, I don’t consider this “laundry,” either.
Now, did you catch that I use conditioner to wash them? This is another thing I’ve been meaning to mention. A couple weeks ago, Mom, Dad and I were chatting about hair (don’t ask me why Dad was chatting about hair–he’s had a crewcut since high school), and Mom said, “One time, I accidentally used conditioner to wash my hair [shudder].” I said, “I use conditioner all the time.” “But I used it instead of shampoo. [shudder again].” “Yes, that’s what I mean.”
This isn’t completely new news, even in the knit-blogging world. In fact, Wendy posted about it just last month. I’ve even mentioned it myself, though not recently, and it bears repeating. Shampoo, even the ones touted as “moisturizing” usually have harsh cleansing agents–usually sulfates–that are bad for your hair, so that your hair then requires conditioner to add the stripped-moisture back, like putting on hand lotion after washing the dishes. Except, it’s healthier to avoid the stripping in the first place. Conditioners often have plenty of cleansing agents in them to begin with–they just need a little extra time to loosen the dirt. (You can read more about conditioner washing here. And here.) It’s true that not every conditioner is eligible–the ones that have non-water-soluble silicones, for example, would just build-up on your hair, but there’s a large number that work, and they’re not always the expensive ones, either.
It does make a certain amount of sense, if you think about it. I learned in high school chemistry that oils dissolve oils. The ancient Romans used oil for their own bathing, after all, and you can clean your own skin with oil even now (Either with purchased products, or by mixing your own out of 50/50 castor oil and extra virgin olive oil, with maybe a drop or two of aromatic oil for scent.) So, really, why wouldn’t conditioner work to clean your hair? And, for that matter, your wool? I’ve been cleaning handknits in conditioner for years . . . and since it’s conditioner, it doesn’t have to be rinsed out, which leaves my knits extra soft and smelling nice. V05 Kiwi Lime is still my favorite, though their new Tea Therapy Vanilla Mint, both available at the local drugstore for a couple dollars,works really well. And they cost a lot less than the Wen products. (Though I’ll admit that I’ve tried that and like it, too. On my hair. It’s a little pricey for washing socks.)
Now, a couple other links for you:
Did you hear that Jody is launching her very own online magazine, Knotions? Good luck, Jody!
I have to say that I love Ysolda’s newest pattern, Verity, a lovely, slouchy beret–look how fabulous it looks–and with her curls, too.
And, you DID know that today is a Sentence, right? I posted about it over at Punctuality Rules.
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Tannenbaum.
House Calls
I have wavy hair that is fine in places and coarse in places (thanks, Mom!). I occasionally try “just conditioner” but I always end up with limp hair by the end of the day. I’m either not doing it right or it’s not the right method for me!
Christina’s last blog post..My favorite place
I wait until I have a pile of socks of similar colors, then soak them all in the sink with shampoo (um, can’t remember the name – it’s straight evil sodium laurel sulfate, used to wash horses, and I have enough for 20 years or more), then rinse them and toss them into the tub so May can snooze on them. Eventually, I blot them with an old towel and hang them up on my IKEA octopus sock dryer.
Thanks for the heads up about Knotions!
Chris’s last blog post..Twisty little cables
i’ve only got one pair of socks i can locate at this point (the others are in my other house, and since my daughter and her roommate moved in there, i haven’t been able to find much, sigh), and i haven’t been wearing them because whatever the lady knit them out of , they wore through in about 10 wearings! i’ve patched them twice, and the patches are holding up fine, but the yarn around them is fading fast. sigh.
speaking of socks, i finally dug into the bag of scraps you gave me. i’m making kid socks for Afghans for Afghanistan.
Minnie’s last blog post..OH MY EFFING GOD!
Happy Sentence Day! Hey, I’ve got it! Show the not-turquoise mystery blue singles with the shoes, which ARE turquoise and simply fabu, especially with those socks.
Ina’s last blog post..Marching
You know, laundering socks was on my mind just yesterday! I am so lazy I just toss them in with the regular wash, with the expected result … my bearfoot socks have shrunk a bit (even though they are superwash) and are super fuzzed and a bit fulled. So far the fleece artist are fine. If I ever get around to making myself lots of socks, I’ll surely try this. And I’ll try the hair thing, though mine is not thick or curly (and it is thinning a bit-gads!). I will sometimes skip a day’s shampoo. Actually, to keep some volume (in my short do) I just about never use conditioner. It’ll be a good experiment….
lisa’s last blog post..sno dogs
You already know that I am crazy about your blue shoes. I’m going to branch out and try your sock washing method & Risa’s/Harlot’s method too. Without even realizing it, I’ve washed my hair with conditioner. In the winter my hair & scalp get really dry so sometimes I’ll skip the shampoo and just use conditioner. I’ll have to get some of the V05 Vanilla Mint on my next trip to the store.
Kim’s last blog post..March Forth!
This is a fascinating topic, and one that is always relevant!
Superwash: they go in the hamper with the rest of the laundry, and I pop them into a mesh lingerie bag when I throw the load in the washer. That’s all the special handling they get. Non-superwash: I soak them in soapy water in a special (socks-only) plastic dishpan, then rinse then out and hang them up with the superwash ones when the washer cycle is done.
I’m intrigued by your method, though. The no-rinsing thing really works?… No soapy-feeling socks?…
Beth S.’s last blog post..WIP Wednesday: Great and Small
While I do favor the Harlot’s method, in truth we all know that I’ve done Kim’s let em pile up and wash em every now and again. I’d give your method a try, but the drain on my bathroom sink will not close. I guess my folks never closed it and with our hard water (softener is back in operation finally) all the deposits accumulated preventing it from working at all. Oh well.
You can count me as another conditioner hair washer as well. I’ve been using only Wen for the last month and I have to say, my hair has been very happy.
Debbie, those socks must have been dirtier than you let on. They start out in shades of blue and such and wind up shades of fall on the drying rack!
Silly! Obviously those are the now-dry socks from the day before.
(I had wondered if anyone would have noticed–should have known my sister would.)
I’ve actually been using the Oil cleansing method for my face for a little while now. I started with just caster oil (which was a little too drying) and I’m now adding a bit of Sunflower oil. Accept for when I went to my conference last month and couldn’t do it because I didn’t have travel bottles, I think my skin has been better for it. There’s a whole discussion about it in the Greencraft group on Ravelry. I keep thinking about the baking soda and apple cider vinegar hair washing method posted there too…
Jessica’s last blog post..Wednesday randomness
I *really* like your shoes!
I’ve been using Deva Curl Low-Poo for over a year and it’s my favorite. However, I only use it every other wash – I like to use conditioner in between. The new V05 Vanilla Mint sounds yummy, I’ll have to give it a try!
As for socks, I let them build up. I have a special ‘dirty sock’ basket next to my laundry basket so they don’t get put in with the regular laundry by accident. (this is necessary since RR has shrunk one pair already – my Mom is ever so grateful and can’t wait for him to mess up again…) ;o)
JessaLu’s last blog post..Funny Story…
I’ve read a few times now about “washing” hair with conditioner. I even tried it when I was at Stitches, and it seemed to work really well, but I’m still cautious. It just seems… wrong somehow. LOL
Ooh, thanks for the link to the new knitting mag. I filled out their survey. Definitely looking forward to another online mag!
Laura’s last blog post..A finish & some swatching