Socks. A n opinion solicited.

I just bought 2 plastic bags full of socks in bulk from k-mart.

Do I wear em first, or wash em first, then wear em?

They came in sealed plastic bags. What’s the need to wash them first? Just go ahead and wear them.

Bosda, don’t you know we’re not allowed to talk about socks on this board?

Yes. :smiley:

  1. Wash and wear one bag.

  2. Wear and wash the other bag.

  3. Report your findings here.

<SLAPS Duckster with Wet Trout>

I need a better answer, Duck-Entity. :dubious:

For a proper blind study, someone else needs to wash one bag, but not the other (the control bag). They should give you a random pair each day for you to wear. Keep notes on how the socks performed. At the end of the study, when all socks have been worn, your collaborator should reveal to you which bag each pair came from and the washing status.

Then report back to us. If you can make a hypothesis and defend it well, we may grant you a degree Straight Dope Sockology.

I prefer to wear them right out of the bag. The cushiness diminishes after the first washing.

Indeed. There is nothing quite like a fresh out of the bag sock :stuck_out_tongue:

Wash one sock from each pair, wear on alternating feet.
Seriously tho - straight from the bag is the way to go.

Mmmm, fresh socks.

Don’t let my Pop see this. He buys a certain number of pairs of socks and ensures that they all get washed the exact same number of times. He lost one sock out of the bunch and had to give all the remaining ones to Mom because he couldn’t live with them anymore. He also has a system for making sure his underwear all gets washed the same number of times, to insure that it all wears out at exactly the same pace.

Yes, he’s retired and slightly nuts.

To answer the OP, I always wear stuff immediately and wash it when it’s dirty.

It’s fine to wear them before washing. However, many socks will shed some fiber when new, which will get all over your feet (doesn’t hurt anything, just looks strange). Washing them first will minimize this.

Wow, is this the first time you’ve ever bought socks? If not, what did you do in the past? Did it work out or did your feet fall off from your decision?

Yes, fresh sock cushiness is wonderful. Don’t wash 'em first. And wear them inside out - they’re much more comfortable that way.

Do what you want, but I’m going to interrupt this silly thread with some rather serious advice. You do not know what kind of detergent, sizing, dyes, or bleaches were used during manufacture and you do not know how well they rinsed out. I don’t think anyone has given half a fuckall to the lack of control there is on amounts of chemicals remaining on new clothes. Want to try something fun? Ask a manufacturer what EH&S control they have for their overseas contract manufacturers and see if you get a response back from a corporate attorney. I have.

Wash everything before wearing it. Maybe Joe from loom 7 was sick that day and wiped his nose on your new socks. No really. New clothes just stink to high heavens of all kinds of chemicals. Wash

I never ever wear clothes before washing them. For something like socks that come in a sealed bag, they usually have that chemical/factory smell, and are kind of stiff/crusty. They need a nice wash and dry to soften them up.

The correct term is THWAP!

And your momma wears army boots!
<<THWAP!!>>

Wash. Then wear. Then shoes.

Throw away the socks. Wear the plastic bags.

Okay, this is making me giggle.