Look inside duvet covers, pillowcases and fitted sheets. [8][9]
Straight out of the tumble dryer
Shake each item: static can leave a sock clinging to a jumper. [10]
Dried on a rack or a line
Look behind radiators, under furniture and around the washing line. [1]
Machine spins but won’t drain
A sock may be blocking the drain or the pump. Check the pump filter with the power off, or call an engineer. [6][5][7]
A note from me
I’m not a laundry scientist (it turns out nobody really is). I made this page for fun, after one odd sock too many. Every fact on it links to a source, the safety steps come from the makers, and the jokes are all mine.
What you need
A quick note from me: I’m not a cleaning expert. These steps and products are my recommendations, not professional advice. I’ve tried to make them as accurate as I can, and every step links to its source. Always patch-test on a hidden area first and follow the product label and the care label. More about this
Shop links go to Amazon UK search results. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It never changes what a guide recommends. Product pictures are my own illustrations, not the maker’s packaging.
An old towel and a shallow trayFor the water that comes out of the pump filter. [5] Step 5
Step1
Check the door seal (the number one sock trap)
On a front-loader there’s a deliberate gap between the door glass and the rubber door gasket, and small laundry such as socks, tights and handkerchiefs can get caught in it. [2]
Open the door and take out the rest of the load.
Press down on the rubber seal all the way round and remove anything trapped inside it. [4]
While you’re there, wipe it: Samsung says to check the drum and clean the door seal regularly in case small objects get trapped. [3]
Top-loader with a centre agitator? Socks can get stuck under it. [9]
Step2
Look inside the bedding (and the other clothes)
Duvet covers, pillowcases and anything else with an open “pocket” can swallow small items as the drum tumbles, so you pull out one big wet bundle with the sock sealed inside. [8] Socks also get trapped in other clothes and in fitted sheets. [9]
Open up duvet covers and pillowcases and check right into the corners. [8]
Check fitted sheets, and inside the other clothes from the same load. [9]
Next time
Do up the duvet cover’s buttons before washing, and shake the load out before it goes in. [8]
Step3
Shake out the static cling
Clothes rub together as they tumble dry and pick up static, so when the cycle stops they cling to each other. Maytag’s own example is socks clinging to a sweater. [10]
Give each item a couple of quick shakes as it comes out of the dryer. [10]
Check inside jumpers and sleeves before you fold them. [9]
Dryer balls or a dryer sheet can help reduce static. Check the care label first. [10]
Step4
Retrace your steps (radiators, sofas, washing line)
Not every lost sock is the machine’s fault. In interviews for a survey that Samsung commissioned to launch a washing machine (so: marketing, not science), people named everyday causes: socks falling behind radiators or under furniture, a stray sock going into the wrong coloured wash and getting separated from its pair, socks not pegged securely on the washing line falling off and blowing away, or simply careless pairing. [1]
Look behind the radiators and under the sofa and the bed. [1]
Check the other colour’s wash pile, and around the washing line. [1]
Check the drum after you unload, and the route between the laundry basket and the machine: it’s easy to drop a sock on the way. [11]
Step5
Check the pump filter (power off first)
Won’t drain?
Small items from clothing or pockets can pass to the drain pump. The filter catches them, but then it can clog and slow or stop draining. [4] Lint, coins and hair clips collect there too. [3]
Power off
Water off
Towel and tray down
Bosch UK’s method (check your own manual: models differ): [5][4]
Turn the machine off, disconnect the power and turn off the water supply.
Lay a towel on the floor with a large, shallow tray on top.
Open the pump cover, pull the cap off the small drain hose and let the water run into the tray. Put the cap back.
Unscrew the filter anti-clockwise and slide it out. Water will come out onto the towel.
Remove anything caught in it, clean the filter, and check the impeller moves freely.
Screw the filter back in tightly and close the pump cover.
Found a sock in there? Mystery solved. It will probably want another wash.
Step6
Still missing? Call an engineer
Last resort
If the machine spins but won’t drain, a sock may be blocking the drain between the inner and outer drums, or be stuck in the pump. [6] A scuffling noise during the wash can mean clothing caught between the door and the drum, or between the inner and outer drum. [7]
Getting a sock out from there means taking panels off and disconnecting the hose between the pump and the drum, [6][7] so if you aren’t confident, call a repair engineer. If the machine is under warranty, contact the manufacturer first: tampering could void it. [7]
Don’t ignore a noisy pump
Something caught in the pump needs dealing with fast, because irreparable damage could occur to the pump. [7]
Wait, isn’t there a scientific formula for this?
Sort of. In 2016 Samsung commissioned a study to launch its AddWash washing machine. The press release says it “found Brits lose an average of 1.3 socks each month (and more than 15 in a year)”, based on a survey of 2,000 people plus interviews, and it came with a “Sock Loss Formula”: Sock loss index = (L+C)-(P x A). [1]
Please file that under marketing, not science: it’s a brand-commissioned survey, published as PR for a washing machine. [1] One of the formula’s inputs is how much you enjoy doing the laundry, on a scale of 1 to 5. The maths blog The Aperiodical pointed out that “there are no SI units measured on a scale of 1 to 5”. [12]
Keep your pairs together
Put socks in a fine mesh laundry bag, and wash it with the rest of the load, not on its own: a bag by itself can make the machine vibrate and spin badly. [2][3]
Clip each pair together before the wash, with sock clips or a safety pin through both socks. [11]
Do up duvet covers and shake out the load before it goes in. [8]
Check the door seal and the drum when you unload. [3][11]
Count the socks going in and coming out, so you know straight away when one goes missing. [11]
Buy several pairs of the same sock: lose one and the rest still match. [11][12]
Keep an odd-sock box for strays waiting for their partner. [11]
