As I was folding a load of laundry yesterday while watching the Patriots beat the Colts, I found myself one sock short of a pair. Now that might be a problem for some folks, but not me, because I’ve found some terrific ways to put my solo socks to use. Here’s a few of the best:
Debugging the garden. Save your unmatched and worn-out socks this winter. Then come bug season, sprinkle some Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) powder in one, and shake it over your plants in the morning.
Buffing wood floors. Slip a couple of old socks over each foot, “skate” up and down the floorboards (like Tom Cruise in “Risky Business”), and they’ll shine like new!
Washing up. Stick little soap slivers in a clean, old sock. Tie it shut, and hang this “soap bag” by an outdoor faucet next spring for a great place to wash up after gardening.
Protecting knees. Cut the toes off of old tube socks and use the leftover tubes as knee protectors when gardening, washing floors, etc.
Keeping hands safe. Cut thumb holes in two socks, and pull one over each hand when handling prickly plants like roses or cactus.
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You can also take a mismatched sock and fill it to almost full with uncooked long grain rice and sew the end shut. A great HOT SOCK for sore muscles. Just pop it into the microwave 1 1/2 minutes and it is warm. A great relief for sore neck and shoulder muscles.
I’ll save my husband’s old tube socks and when I’m ready to dust, just slip my hand inside. If the bottom gets filled with dust, just turn it around. It then can either be washed of tossed.