Gray and White. The girls still like colorful socks.

I don't care if the bottoms are stained. They're socks and they outgrow them or get holes in them before they are too stained.

Anonymous wrote:What do you (not) have going on in your life that this is something you devote energy to?

I agree with this. Who cares? If the kid cares, they can choose the socks they want. IDGAF if the bottoms look dirty or the black is faded.

Also wear slippers around the house, socks will not get dingy this way.

Bleach the white socks. Replace once a year. Easy peasy.

Anonymous wrote:Cartoon characters that they like Pokémon, hello kitty, Disney so they are a mix of colors....I'm pretty sure these are seen as low class since they are not organic or made from Pima Cotton.

Where do you buy cartoon socks? I can never find a pack of cartoon socks.

I am fussy about laundry and clothes looking nice (even kids' play clothes) but the dinginess of white socks doesn't ping my radar. They're socks, it's fine. If they were permanently stained orange from clay dirt or something (baseball/softball parents, share your secrets!), I'd probably put them in the fabric recycling pile, but the inevitable slight grayness of the soles/toes doesn't bother me.

Jeffries Socks make white athletic socks with gray bottoms, to prevent staining. Best of all, they are seamless! Once a month, I soak them in OxiClean overnight and they come out pretty bright in the wash. I also use some OxiClean with each load.

Athletic socks are usually white/white with a colored band, PPs.

Anonymous wrote:This is such a weird thread. Don’t most elementary schools like socks in fun colors and prints?

I was wondering. My fourth grader mostly wears socks with cats on them.

This is such a weird thread. Don’t most elementary schools like socks in fun colors and prints?

Things that never cross my mind for 200 Alex

Cartoon characters that they like Pokémon, hello kitty, Disney so they are a mix of colors....I'm pretty sure these are seen as low class since they are not organic or made from Pima Cotton.

My two girls wear dingy white socks. I’m kind of embarrassed. I’ve tried colored socks and they don’t really like them. They are pretty rough on their socks. Sometimes, they wear them outside - annoying. I don’t like to be wasteful and I also don’t like to use bleach. They do get washed after each use, but the stains don’t come out.

I feel like people don't know how to pre-treat and wash clothes anymore now that everything is so disposable.

OP, do you wash dark clothes together in cold water and dry on the lowest heat setting? Your black clothing shouldn't be fading that quickly if you wash them properly.

Anonymous wrote:Black socks are weird outside of certain specific applications. white socks are standard and cheap... wash them in hot water with bleach (or some fancy "keeps whites, white" detergent)... my son has all kinds of different colored socks and wears whatever matches his outfits, or just white. I have never even considered this (white/black sock fading) issue until I read this post.

?? IMO, black socks look much better than white ones when with black athletic pants -- which is what my sons wear much of the time. Pretty much all of their socks are black with gray bottoms (Hanes). My husband wears exclusively black socks as well.

Honestly, I don't understand what OP is talking about when she complains that black socks "fade." What does that even mean? They become a little less blaringly black? Who would notice or care? It's not like they're turning from black into gray (not that it would matter).

OTOH, I agree that white socks become stained too easily. This is especially true with one of my sons. So I don't buy them anymore. We don't use bleach, it isn't good for clothes and it's too easy to ruin something with accidental splatter.