Do Washing Machines Actually Eat Your Socks? An Investigation

We’ve all been affected by missing socks after we’ve washed them and it’s been an age-old myth that washing machines eat socks but is that actually what’s happening?

There’s currently a viral video doing the rounds on TikTok showing someone opening up their top-loader washing machine to find a whole bunch of socks stuffed inside.

@asianbarbie0917

Washing machine ate my socks #washer #dryer #missingsocks #fyp #wtf

♬ original sound – S’Tina MUA

We were shocked when we saw this TikTok and needed to figure out the truth.

So, we asked Shannon Tweedie, Marketing Manager for Home Appliances at LG Electronics Australia to investigate where our socks really go.

Do washing machines eat socks?

To put all the rumours to rest, the answer is no, washing machines don’t actually ‘eat’ your socks.

According to Tweedie, although it’s a humorous concept, there’s not any factual evidence to back up the myth.

Instead, Tweedie says that socks go missing in the laundry for a few different reasons and that we are actually the ones to blame most of the time, not our poor old washing machines.

“When doing laundry, socks can sometimes get separated from the rest of the load and end up hidden in pockets, stuck in bedding or clothing, or fall behind the machine or laundry basket,” Tweedie said.

“They can also get mixed up with other garments and end up in a different load. Additionally, we too can contribute to their disappearance by accidentally dropping a sock while transferring laundry.”

To think I’ve been framing my washing machine for stealing my socks all this time when really, the problem was me. So, how can we be sure to keep all of our socks safe and sound?

How to save your socks

As well as helping us break washing machine myths, Tweedie also shared a pretty incredible hack to lessen how often your socks go missing.

“Keeping socks together in a mesh bag or using a sock clip can help prevent them from getting separated from the rest of the load.”

A similar hack was shared on a Kmart Mums Australia Facebook group a few years back too and it’s such a simple yet effective way of making sure you don’t end up having odd socks laying around the house.