One sock less after washing? Did the neighbor steal it? A bird? No, says expert Joshua Jahn. Washing machines can “eat” socks.
Claim: Socks get lost in washing machines. Rating: This is partly true, socks dissolve in some devices.
If socks get into the seal on the door during their rounds in the drum, in some devices they can be pulled through a gap in this rubber lip into the interior of the washing machine, explains Joshua Jahn, project manager for energy advice at the Brandenburg Consumer Center. This is why some washing machines actually eat socks.
According to Jahn, the socks and other very small items of clothing inside the device then get caught in the machine’s heating coil. Their rescue is usually hopeless: due to heat and friction, the material dissolves completely after a while. If a craftsman has to open the machine anyway as part of a repair, you could let him look for socks or their leftovers. But if you don’t have any knowledge of electrical appliances, you shouldn’t unscrew them yourself, advises Jahn.
However, according to the experts, not many devices have the slot-like wastewater drain anymore. “The older the washing machine is, the higher the likelihood that it has this gap and that socks will be pulled through,” says Jahn.
Claudia Oberascher from the HEA professional association for efficient energy use, in which, among other things, large household appliance manufacturers are organized, confirms this. “If you have a very old appliance, this can happen more often, but not actually with a fairly contemporary model from a local brand manufacturer.” According to the household appliance expert, they have further developed their construction methods accordingly, as materials that pass through the gap into the Internal damage could also lead to failures at some point.
“And even with these devices with a gap, you have to say: the likelihood of socks getting into them is not that high,” says Jahn. “You don’t have to worry about a sock disappearing once a month.” It doesn’t affect larger items of clothing anyway: even if a piece of sweater ends up in the slit, the rest of it will be pulled along by other items of clothing in the circle and so will it Sleeves freed.
Joshua Jahn’s best tip for owners of affected older devices: use special sock clips to collect the individual footwear or pack them in a laundry bag. Oberascher also recommends a bag.
“And you shouldn’t fill the washing machine to capacity,” recommends Jahn. “The more fully the washing machine is loaded, the more likely the socks will be pulled towards the gap. You should leave a hand’s width of space in the drum.” Or you only have one type of socks. “Then it’s not so bad if some people disappear.”
By the way: May 9th is considered the – of course unofficial – memorial day for all the missing socks in the world. It follows No Socks Day on May 8th.
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