Keeping the bottom of white socks clean can be a major challenge as it can feel like stains will appear no matter how many times you wash them.
Baris Atmaca, an expert from Socks Kick, has shared that the best way to wash socks so that “they’re as clean as possible” is using lemon juice.
He said: “Vitamin C in citrus fruits makes them natural antioxidants. The bleaching characteristics of lime and lemon make them popular household cleaners as well as laundry detergents.
“Soaking socks in lemon juice before washing them clean is a common cleaning technique.”
It may seem strange, but harsh chemical stain removers like bleach are too harsh on fabric and can cause white clothing to wear out or turn yellow.
Lemon juice on the other hand is gentle on fabric while being very effective at breaking down stains due to its natural acidic properties.
Not only will lemon juice remove tough stains but it is cheap, non-toxic and will also help whiten the fabric so your socks look brand new in no time.
How to use lemon juice to get rid of white sock stains
To begin, turn socks inside out and them in a basin or bathtub filled with warm water.
Add three tablespoons of lemon juice for every litre of warm water.
Leave the socks to soak for at least 15 minutes, but you can leave them for longer or even overnight for particularly tough stains.
Next, place the socks in the washing machine and place them in a normal wash cycle.
Once the socks have been washed, hang the socks up to dry. If possible, hang the socks outside in the sun.
The ultraviolet rays in sunlight will react to the citric acid in lemon juice to help enhance the stain-removing properties so your socks will be even cleaner.
Plus, sunlight has natural bleaching and disinfection properties which will also help restore your socks so they look brand new.
Once your socks are fully dried the should be bright, white and completely stain-free once again.
If there are any remaining stains then try soaking the socks in the lemon juice solution for much longer or try using citric acid, a crystallised and more concentrated version of lemon juice that can be bough in the cleaning aisle of most supermarkets.
Baris said: ”You may use citric acid instead of juice… the unclean regions will be attacked more aggressively and effectively if the solution has a greater acid content.”
