Is it possible to wash panties and socks in the washing machine?

The things we wear every day have to be washed very often. This applies most of all to underwear and socks. Since the products are quite small, housewives “accumulate” them in order to load a batch of suitable weight into the washing machine drum. Is it possible to wash socks and underpants together? After all, washing together would greatly simplify the task and save time. Let's figure out how safe it is from the point of view of hygiene and safety of the things themselves.

It's unhygienic

Not all housewives decide to wash socks and panties together. There is an opinion that harmful microorganisms can “survive” in water heated to 40-60°C and get on underwear. As a result, there is a chance of becoming infected with something. Of course, the “relocation” of bacteria is unlikely, but it is better not to risk your own health, but to take measures to separate these things into different batches.

If you can’t wash your panties and socks in the washing machine, is there really only one way out - hand cleaning? After all, following the separate washing approach, you will have to collect your underwear for ten days in order to gain the minimum 1-1.5 kg to load into the automatic machine. It’s the same story with socks – where can you get enough of them to fill the drum at least a third of the way? Enterprising housewives came up with an interesting way.

Before putting your socks in the machine, soak them in water and some detergent.

This will wash off most of the dirt from the fabric and kill most of the microbes. After this, you can safely combine the items with panties in the drum of the machine and start the wash.

The main thing is to monitor the color of things, do not wash black socks and white underwear together, otherwise the look of the latter will definitely be ruined. Also, light-colored stockings may turn pink after being washed with red panties. Therefore, it is worth adhering to the main rules for sorting clothes.

We are all different, some wash their swimming trunks exclusively by hand, and cannot imagine how to combine them with other clothes in the drum. Others, on the contrary, are unable to refuse the help of an automatic machine, and are ready to combine products together to make their life easier. Pre-soaking socks is a compromise solution to the hygiene issue.

Why do housewives not recommend this type of washing?

Usually grandmothers and mothers, seeing how a young girl throws both socks and panties into the drum at the same time, begin to swear and explain all the disadvantages of this idea. According to experienced housewives, doing this is strictly prohibited for a number of reasons.

• Differences in recommended water heating. First of all, we are talking about temperature conditions. Knitted socks do not tolerate “hot” cleaning and can become deformed when exposed to high temperatures. It is recommended to soak them in water heated to no more than 30°C. Panties, on the contrary, need to be exposed to stronger thermal effects, otherwise bacteria will remain on the underwear;
• Color mismatch. If we talk about socks, they are mostly in dark shades; some models have colorful pictures. Underwear is often made from fabrics in pastel colors. So, during washing, it is possible that black items will fade and spoil light ones;
• Unsuitable detergent. Swimming trunks and socks are made from different materials, so washing powder or gel must be selected separately for each case.For silk and lace underwear, delicate formulations are needed, and not dry powder, which is used to wash hosiery. Otherwise things will lose their appearance;
• Different washing modes. Here you also need to focus on the fabric from which the products are made. For example, lace panties cannot be washed in the same program as wool socks, so it is better to divide the items into batches.

Many people, due to a feeling of disgust, do not understand how to wash panties and socks in a washing machine. And in such a situation, housewives also found a simple way out - hosiery “spins” in the drum together with trousers, and swimming trunks with tops, T-shirts or blouses made of delicate fabrics.

Opinion of young housewives

Some girls and women take this issue lightly. They see nothing wrong with washing socks and underwear together, as long as the items are properly prepared before loading into the drum.

So, after filling the dirty laundry basket, housewives sort things by color and material. It’s okay that in one batch there will be black knitted socks and dark blue, cotton men’s swimming trunks, and in the other – thin nylon footwear and light women’s panties.

Co-washing significantly saves time for the modern woman.

Proper sorting will solve many issues related to inconsistencies in temperature conditions, choice of detergent and washing program. By doing everything correctly, you will not cause any harm to your health or the items being washed. If you are still worried about hygiene, use the advice regarding pre-soaking socks in a basin.

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