88 Absolutely Brilliant Uses for Old Socks
Updated: Mar. 13, 2023
These uses for old socks will finally give those lonely orphan socks that you've been accumulating for years a purpose.
Jewelry case
These next 13 uses for old socks can help you around the house. Use it as a makeshift travel jewelry case to hold your jewelry when you travel. The sock will provide cushioning and it will also (hopefully) deter thieves.
Like this? Learn more ways to pack jewelry for travel.
Protect breakables
Use spare socks when you need to pack breakables like glasses or vases or use them as padding in boxes.
Knee pads
The next time you garden, put sock cuffs over your knees to protect your clothes and provide a bit of padding.
Ornament holder
They’re also great for storing breakable Christmas ornaments.
Keep wrapping paper in place
Another holiday tip: Cut off the cuff part of the sock and put it on wrapping paper rolls so the paper won’t slide off.
Organize cords
You can use the cuff part to wrangle and contain loose electrical cords.
Guide your plants
Cut a sock into strips to tie your growing plants to stakes.
Protect from paint
When painting, slide larger socks over your sneakers and shoes to shield them from splatter.
Stop the squeaks
Place a sock in your bed frame to stop squeaks.
Prevent floor scratches
When moving furniture at home, put socks on the feet of your chair or table legs to prevent scratching the floors.
Keep the cold out
Take multiple socks, fill them with a mix of popcorn kernels and quilt/pillow batting, and connect them! Voila: You’ve got a nifty draft stopper to put under the door.
Golf club protection
Use stray socks to cover your golf clubs.
Ball storage
Keep any stray golf, ping pong, and other small balls together in a sock.
Umbrella holder
These next four uses for old socks can help with car troubles. Put your wet umbrella in an orphan sock to keep the inside of your car dry.
Stop the fog
Fill socks with silica kitty litter (which is extremely absorbent), and keep them on rear and/or front window ledge to stop windshields from fogging up. Check out these genius uses for your old cell phone.
Prevent burns
On a hot, sunny day, place a sock over the metal parts of seat belts so they don’t burn people’s skin.
Prolong wipers
In the winter, put them over windshield wipers after you park your car to prevent wipers from freezing and sticking to the glass.
Roll out muscle knots
These next eight uses for old socks can help you with body aches and during your daily beauty routine. Place a tennis ball inside a sock, knot it, and use this to roll out knots in your back or legs.
Get rid of cramps
Combat aches and cramps with a DIY heating pad. Just fill a clean, dry sock (use one that’s all or mostly cotton or wool, with no embellishments) with white or brown rice (not the instant or quick-cooking kind), dried beans, flaxseed, or barley. Either knot the sock or sew it shut with cotton thread, and microwave it for one minute. If it’s not hot enough, up the time in 15-second increments.
DIY ice pack
For pains and itches that require a cold touch, fill a plastic bag with ice and place it inside of a sock to make a softer ice pack.
Wrist rest
For an ergonomic wrist rest for your computer, take a sock, stuff it with filling, and sew it closed. Whether it resembles a ferret, cat, another mammal, or no animal at all is up to you and your preferences and skill.
Hair tie
In a pinch, cut off the cuff and use it as a scrunchie in your hair.
Sock bun
Follow these steps to create a chic sock bun (don’t worry: you’ll be the only one to know a sock is in there).
Overnight curls
Curl your hair while you sleep by tying up hair with singleton socks. In the morning, you’ll have mermaid waves.
Relieve dry skin
When dry hands and feet need extra attention, slather lotion on your extremities, cover them with socks, and go to sleep. Wake up to baby skin. Try out these genius ways to use lemons besides eating them.
Pan handle cover
These next three uses for old socks can help you in the kitchen. Stash socks in the kitchen where they’re surprisingly useful. For starters, when cooking on the stove, slip one over the handle of your saucepan or frying pan; this will not only shield your hand from the heat but also prevent the handle from getting sticky.
Open jars
Use a spare sock as a grip to help open stubborn jars.
Sticky jar cover
Keep your cupboard and refrigerator clean by deploying single socks to cover the bottoms of bottles or jars containing messy, sticky, drippy stuff like syrup, honey, molasses, and barbecue sauce.
Armband
The cuff can also serve as an armband to hold your phone while working out.
Eyeglass storage
These next 18 uses for old socks can help step up your clothing and accessory game. Store your eyeglasses in a sock.
Wristband
Cut off the cuff of a sock and use it as a wristband.
Fingerless gloves
Or, make fingerless gloves. If you want a matched pair, use an extra long knee sock.
Colorful scarf
By using ten or more socks with complementary colors and patterns, you can even sew together a scarf.
Sleep mask
Fashion a sleep mask with an old sock, some flat backing fabric, and an elastic band.
Drawer fragrance
Put potpourri or dried flowers and herbs inside a sock, knot it, and stash in drawers to make them smell nice.
Keep moths away
Fill a sock with mothballs and stow in a drawer, chest, or closet to ward off moths.
Soften laundry
To soften laundry without using fabric softener or dryer balls, take a couple of socks, put a tennis ball inside each, knot them, and throw into the dryer before running your next load of laundry.
Dryer sachet
Create an easy dryer sachet by filling a sock with a mix of lavender and flax seed, closing it, and using it with a dryer load.
Delicates wash bag
A larger sock can make an improvised wash bag to hold delicates like lingerie or stuffed animals.
Laundry room board
Decorate your laundry room AND help reunite your missing socks by starting a “Clean, Single & Looking” clothespin board.
Polish shoes
Use as a mitt to polish shoes.
Cover shoes before packing them
Place your shoes inside spare socks next time you’re packing your suitcase.
Deodorize shoes
Fill two spare socks with baking soda or coffee grounds, and leave in shoes overnight to deodorize them.
Make shoes last longer
Stuff a sock into another sock, then put the whole ball inside your shoes when you’re not wearing them. This will help them retain their shape (and looks) longer. Check out these things you can clean with a toothbrush besides your teeth.
Boot stands
Take two tall socks, fill with newspaper or paper, and place the stuffed socks into boots to keep them from falling over.
Boot cuffs
Take a tall sock, and make boot cuffs—these can add a pop of color and design and stop chafing.
Clear chalkboards
Check out these next five uses for old socks for some cleaning hacks that can help around the house. Use to wipe off dry-erase boards or chalkboards.
Clean the nooks and crannies
Put a sock on your hand, wet it, and clean hard-to-reach places, like between blinds, along moldings, and in corners.
Dust high places
To dust extra-tall (e.g., on ceilings) or extra-narrow (under appliances or radiators) spots, fasten a sock to the end of a yardstick or a broom, dampen, and clean.
Swiffer cover
Employ a sock as an eco-friendly, reusable swiffer cover by stretching it to go over the swiffer bottom (chenille socks are especially good at picking up dust).
Clean houseplants
Put your hand in a sock, dampen it, and use it as a mitt to clean houseplants of dust and other debris.
Pincushion
To get crafty, check out these next seven uses for old socks. Construct a pincushion by stuffing with toy filling (you can find at craft stores) and sew it into a ball. Bonus points for fashioning into a pleasing shape (like this mushroom!).
Flower pot cover
Reserve your more attractive single socks to serve as colorful covers for flower pots or vases.
Braided bath mat
For those of you with a large number of spare socks and a high level of crafty-ness, cut socks into strips and braid them together into a bath mat or even a rug.
Christmas decor
You can create a variety of cute stuffed Christmas decorations—from the tabletop (like these snowpeople) to the hanging-from-a-tree variety.
Sock wreath
Combine socks with a variety of hues and patterns to craft a fabric wreath—make one for Christmas or year-round.
Easter Egg cozies
For Easter morning breakfast, dress up hard- or soft-boiled eggs with adorable egg cozies. For this, you decorate baby socks with felt, eyes, and feathers. Check out these household vinegar uses you never knew about.
Stop shedding
Try using these next six uses for old socks with your pets. When shedding season arrives and you can’t find a brush, put a sock on your hand, wet it, and use to remove excess hair from your cat or dog.
Cat toy
Fill it with catnip and knot it to create a cat toy.
Pull toy
Put a tennis ball or chew bone inside a sock, knot it, and you’ve got a pull toy for a dog.
Puppy outfit
If you can sew and have a miniature or teacup dog, you can actually make a fetching sweater and cap ensemble from just one sock.
Pet bed
You can also make a pet bed for a small dog or cat. Construct a stuffed snake, coil it, and sew it into an oval.
Hamster sleeping bag
Hamster owners: there’s a craft for you, too. You can make a sleeping bag for your wee one.
Flask jacket
Use the next five uses for old socks for your drinks. Use a bigger, prettier sock to make a jacket for a flask.
Can coozie
Use the cuff as a soda or beer can coozie to keep your hands dry and your beverage cold.
Prolong cold water
When you go on a hike or day trip on a hot day, pack a frozen water bottle and put a sock over it to keep the water cold longer.
Coffee sleeve
Use a sock cuff as an eco-friendly alternative to cardboard coffee sleeves. Or, use it at home to hold hot mugs.
Wine holder
Next time you give someone a bottle of wine, wrap it in a cute sock (not a white athletic sock) to dress it up and cushion it.
Sock toys
For help with your kids, check out the next 18 uses for old socks. Socks can be turned into a chestful of soft toys for your kids. The most easiest and most basic is the sock puppet.
Stuffed fish
Craft a school of stuffed fish from socks, put magnets in them, make a fishing pole from a wooden dowel from yarn or ribbon and a washer, and presto! You’ve got a sock fishing game. (Note: Please be careful about playing with magnets around young children who could accidentally swallow them).
Fish mobile
Remove the magnets and attach the fish by strings to a frame, and you’ve got a fun mobile.
Rattle
Put a bell inside a baby sock, add polyfill stuffing, sew shut, and embellish to make a rattle.
Hacky sack
Construct a hacky sack by filling a single sock with rice or lentils or sand, shaping into a ball, and sewing it closed. Here are some other simple kid crafts to try.
Indoor snowballs
Furnish the fixings for an indoor snowball fight by constructing stuffed snowballs from athletic socks.
Advent calendar
Put together an adorable, 3-D advent calendar for a child. Use babies’ or children’s socks in attractive colors or patterns, attach numbers, enclose gifts, and pin up.
Doll clothes
With scissors and pins, you can make all kinds of clothes for all kinds of dolls, whether they’re Barbies, American Girls, or others.
Soap case
Since soap can be slippery for small hands, put the bar inside a clean sock and knot it to make it easier for kids to use. Also, check out these amazing uses for WD-40.
Crawl guard
Cut off the toes from a sock and use the cuffs to protect baby’s knees when they’re learning to crawl.
Scratch protector
When your baby has chickenpox or insect bites, put socks over their hands to stop them from scratching themselves.
Washcloths
Cut up spare adult socks to use as baby washcloths.
Baby leggings
You can also sew together two adult knee socks (use colors or patterns that go together) to make leggings for a baby or toddler.
Patches
Since kids are frequently ripping their clothes, spare socks can provide comfy material for patches. You can also use a spare sock to add pockets to their clothes.
Sock art
Depending on how many socks you have and how big your imagination is, you could use them to craft a portrait or an art installation.
New ideas
Finally, why not use your socks to find the next big business idea? After entrepreneurs Arielle Eckstut, Jason Dorf, and Jonah Staw noticed that teens and tween girls were wearing mismatched socks due to the missing sock problem, the trio founded the company Little MissMatched, which began selling socks in colorful packs of three (each with a different color or design). They’ve since expanded into clothes and bedding. Next, check out these extraordinary uses for household staples you already own.
