Stained socks can be a real headache, often refusing to return to their pristine white after multiple washes. If you’re struggling with less-than-luminous socks and bleach isn’t cutting it, soda crystals could be your saviour.
This is the top tip from cleaning enthusiasts who vouch for this natural solution to tackle stubborn stains. Katherine Cerpa reached out to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips and Tricks Facebook group in search of help after her white socks came out of the wash still brown-stained, despite an OxiClean soak. She asked the group: “These socks just came out of the washer. They were washed with warm water and soaked with OxiClean. Please give me some recommendations to remove these brown stains and make them look whiter.”
Her call for advice was met with a flurry of responses, amassing over 160 comments, with many singing the praises of soda crystals.
Jane Ireland recommended: “Soda crystals are really good and you can get them from most supermarkets and on Amazon.
“Depending on how stained they are, add half a cup to one cup of soda crystals to the washing machine and put it on a 60-degree wash.”
Natasha Smith, managing the laundry for five boys and a girl, also endorsed soda crystals for their efficacy on white socks, stating: “I’m a mum of five boys and one girl and I always use soda crystals on their white socks. It’s game-changing.”
Michelle Walker has sung the praises of soda crystals, exclaiming: “Soda crystals. It’s amazing stuff. It gets my blokes socks looking new again. I just add the soda crystals straight in the washing machine drum.”
Susan Wilson also swears by them, suggesting: “Get yourself some soda crystals. It’s the best thing I’ve ever used to get my boy’s grubby white socks up.”
Alisha Dobbs echoes this sentiment, advising: “Soak in soda crystals and then wash as normal. The brown stains will be gone and the socks will come out like new.”
Debbie Powell shares her own success story: “I have two boys and used to have the same problem. Now I just add a scoop of soda crystals to every white wash and they are now lovely and white.”
Soda crystals have garnered acclaim for their multipurpose cleaning abilities, from unclogging drains to boosting laundry and removing stubborn stains.
For organic stain removal, a small addition of these environmentally friendly crystals to your regular washing agent usually does the trick.
Tougher stains may require pre-soaking – immersing the socks in a mixture of warm water and soda crystals for an hour before the usual wash can yield impressive results.
Incorporating soda crystals into your laundry routine is straightforward; combine them with your usual detergent, either directly in the drum or in the detergent drawer.
To prevent any unwanted clumping due to a reaction between soda crystals and liquid detergents, it’s recommended to place one in the drum and the other in the drawer.