Storing socks
This isn’t a real blog post. It’s an inevitable follow-up to my post about simplifying. I want to address a question I get from friends and clients alike, about how to store socks. Can you fold them in such a way that they will stay together? Is it okay to roll them one onto the other or to tie them together? As is the case with many such organizing questions, my answer is: It depends.
The first thing to take into consideration is how you wash and dry your socks. Personally, I do not use the dryer on my clothes (linens, yes, but clothes, no). So once I have clean but damp socks, I smooth them out and hang them on a clothing rack to dry. This means that they dry in a nice, smooth shape, and are then very “docile” about being folded and staying that way.
Am I saying that this is how you must wash socks? NO! Many people do not have the time or inclination to hang their clothes to dry and they much prefer using a dryer. That’s fine, but it does mean that your socks will dry with a more crooked or unpredictable shape, so they will be much harder to fold and may not stay neatly folded no matter how hard you try – you’re not doing anything wrong, you just can’t achieve the same results with socks that have been in the dryer. This is the case with many of the homes in which I work, and in those cases, I will “potato” the socks, meaning fold the top of one over the other to keep the pair together in the drawer. (I do not recommend tying them together at all.)
To be clear, the downside of this method is that it causes more strain on the elastic, making the socks break down more quickly. Plus, fabric will take the shape it had when it was drying, so with this method, it is possible that the socks will be less comfortable. Folding is the ideal way to store socks, but I do understand that it is not possible for everyone.
Bottom line: If the way you are currently washing and storing socks works for you, keep doing it. If there is something you would like to improve, let’s figure out how to tweak your system so that it works for you.
Bonus tips: If pairing socks is a pain point for you, try doing it mindlessly as you are watching television. Or have your kids do it! Another tip is to just get sets of matching socks and use a different one for each member of the household. Now the only question will be how to spend the extra time you’ll have!
Bonus bonus tip: Washing smaller loads and not using the dryer seem to be the keys to not ending up with orphaned socks.
Hi there! I’m Amélie, a professional home organizer in San Antonio, Texas. I help people like you declutter their home, organize their belongings, and simplify their life. I love cleaning out a closet and removing a carload of donations from a home! My goal is to help you create a functional space that will make your life easier and more peaceful.
Interested? Check out my personalized services or book your complimentary consultation!
How to get unstuck
It’s very common to get so overwhelmed by a messy, cluttered space that we get stuck! We get analysis paralysis and freeze because we don’t know what the next step is, and the whole task seems like too much. I know it happens to my clients a lot, and it sometimes happens to me, too! People who find themselves in that situation will often just give up – they will ignore the space, which means that it will stay the same or even get worse, but it still occupies a lot of mental bandwidth for them. So, what can we do to get unstuck?
If you feel so overwhelmed by a task that you are unable to start it, it’s because the first step isn’t small enough. So break the task down into smaller chunks to get a better handle on it!
Here is one simple tip I swear by: Pick a corner and start working from there. Maybe I start by picking things up off the floor so that I have room to walk around without tripping. Then I’ll pick a corner of the room and work my way clockwise until it’s done. If there are piles of boxes, I just do one box at a time.
You can also do this in small chunks of time! Obviously, when I go to a client’s home, I might be working for hours at a time. But you can set a timer and do this for 15 minutes, a little bit every day, and you will definitely see progress! The important thing is to keep the momentum going.
Another important point is that you need to define the task. Figure out what actions you need to take, or what your options might be for each item, before you even start.
Let’s say we are working through a pile pf papers. Your options might look like “shred,” “recycle,” “file with taxes,” “file with other important papers,” “keep only until a certain date,” or “act on it.” While you can’t necessarily account for everything, you’ll at least know roughly what to expect and can set yourself up accordingly with a paper bag to hold paper to be shredded, a recycling bin, and a filing system.
If the task is to unpack after a move or to sort through boxes of items that belonged to a deceased loved one, then you know you will need to open boxes and make decisions about the items inside. Keep or discard? And if you are keeping the item, where will you store it? Take it one box at a time.
Finally, get support when you need it.
This could look like having a friend or relative help you, or you can consider hiring a professional like myself or one of my colleagues. Home organizers love to help you solve those problems!
Hi there! I’m Amélie, a professional home organizer in San Antonio, Texas. I help people like you declutter their home, organize their belongings, and simplify their life. I love cleaning out a closet and removing a carload of donations from a home! My goal is to help you create a functional space that will make your life easier and more peaceful.
Interested? Check out my personalized services or book your complimentary consultation!