There’s an old saying that you shouldn’t skimp on things that separate you from the ground, such as ladders, chairs, beds, shoes, and socks. It’s a practical take even for people who are living a modern lifestyle. After all, the things that separate you from the ground support your body, and if they fail, they’ll take you down with them.
Also, you likely spend hours sleeping, standing up, or sitting down. If your bed, shoes, or chairs aren’t comfortable, then you’ll have a greater risk of suffering from body pain and poor posture, preventing your body from functioning the way it’s supposed to.
Small as they may be, the shoes and socks you have are an investment. If you want to use socks as promotional gifts to your clients, you even have the option to order socks in bulk online. With a good pair of shoes and socks, you can rest assured that your feet will feel cool and comfortable no matter what your activities are for the rest of the day. You won’t have to worry about blisters or other foot injuries as well.
It’s in your best interest, then, to take good care of your footwear and make sure that they last for as long as they can. But how exactly do you care for your socks and shoes? Say you’ve just bought a pair of each. Here are some of the steps you can take to extend their service lifespan:
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Caring for Your Socks the Right Way
Some people think that socks are replaceable until they find the perfect pair of Burlix men’s crew socks. Once that happens, they can no longer imagine going back to buying generic socks. If you’ve been lucky enough to come across the perfect pair or brand of socks early on, then you should make an effort to care for them properly. With that in mind, read on for some general tips you can follow:
- Use cold water. Some people believe that socks should be washed in hot water to preserve their color, but doing so can damage the material and speed up its aging process. With that in mind, cold water should do fine for washing socks.
- Flip your socks inside out. If you want to protect the colors and decals of your socks, be sure to flip them inside out before tossing them into the washing machine.
- Bag up your socks by color. If you want to make extra sure that your socks won’t get lost during the cleaning process, prepare zipped garment bags to separate your white pairs from your colorful pairs.
- Keep new pairs separate from old ones. If you’re washing a pair of socks for the first time, don’t mix the new pair with the rest of your socks or clothes. Wash them on their own first to see if the pair won’t stain your other clothes.
- Don’t immediately bleach any stained socks. If you’re dealing with stained socks, don’t bleach them right away. Bleach can eat away at your socks’ delicate material and cause holes to develop.
- Don’t use fabric softener. It’s also a good idea to skip fabric softener when you’re cleaning socks and other fabrics with moisture-wicking properties, as it can leave a waxy coating on the material.
Once you’re done washing your socks, hang them up to dry. Don’t think about ironing them at all, and make sure they’re completely dry before you put them on.
Caring for Your Everyday Shoes and Footwear
Shoes come in a variety of forms and materials, and as such, the process of caring for one pair can be drastically different from another. Fortunately, there are a few tips that you can generally apply to most of your new shoes to help prolong their years of service. Doing the following will help you prolong the life of each pair and enable you to make the most of your footwear investment:
- Use a waterproof protector. Upon getting your new footwear, it’s a good idea to spray them with a waterproof protector. This will keep the surface of the shoes from being damaged in case you’re caught in the rain while wearing the pair.
- Alternate the pairs of shoes that you’re wearing. If you wear sneakers to work, buy two or three pairs and rotate them. This will give each pair a chance to recover from the internal and external pressures that you subject them to while wearing them.
- Clean the inside of your shoes periodically. This gives you a chance to inspect if there are any internal damages to the shoe. At the same time, it’s also a great opportunity to address odor problems.
- Use shoe trees. Don’t just chuck your shoes into the cabinet once you’re done wearing them. You should first insert shoe trees into your footwear to preserve their shape and help prevent creases from showing.
Caring for your shoes and socks doesn’t have to be a complicated or time-consuming process. Follow these tips, and you won’t have a hard time ensuring that your footwear will remain in perfect condition for as long as you need them to.
