Does the Dryer Actually “Eat” Your Socks? Laundry Experts Reveal the Truth

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Do you often find yourself wondering where your other sock is after laundry day? Find out where those lost socks are going—and how to keep track of them moving forward.

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One of the longest-standing household conundrums is missing a singular sock after doing the laundry. We check the washer and dryer, inside the legs of our pants, anywhere we can think it might be hiding—but still nothing. Where could these runaway socks possibly be going? Laundry experts give us their professional insight on what’s really happening with those missing socks, and how to prevent runaway socks in the future.

Meet Our Expert

Sammy Wang, is a fabric care senior specialist at P&G Tide.Mary Gagliardi (aka Dr. Laundry) is an in-house scientist and cleaning expert at Clorox.

Does the Dryer Actually “Eat” Socks?

Mary Gagliardi (also known as Dr. Laundry), Clorox’s in-house scientist and cleaning expert, says that there are lots of opportunities for a sock to get lost, especially children’s socks. She notes that socks have to make it into the laundry basket or hamper, then into the washer, out of the washer and into the dryer, then out of the dryer and into another basket, then folded and put away. Dryers are blamed for “eating” socks because it’s the last place you think the sock was, but it’s actually more likely that a missing sock was lost elsewhere in the process, she says.

“Dryers are closed systems—except for the lint filter, which, if not properly inserted, could allow small items to enter the lint trap—so it’s unlikely a dryer could ‘eat’ a sock. If it’s not in the lint trap, it’s unlikely it’s in the dryer at all,” Gagliardi says.

Sammy Wang, a fabric care senior specialist at P&G Tide, agrees that the dryer does not typically ‘eat’ socks, though very small items like bobby pins, paper clips, or coins can slip between gaps in the dryer and get lost inside the machine. Socks do not typically fall into these gaps because they are too large, Wang says.

How Do Small Laundry Items Disappear?

“When small items like coins or clips get lost in the dryer, they can slip into the gaps between the inner dryer drum and the outer dryer drum,” Wang says. “Because of this, the only way to access them is by disassembling the dryer completely, which should only be done by service professionals.”

If small socks—like baby or children’s socks—go missing after doing the laundry, Wang says that they can actually go through gaps in the washing machine (but not the dryer) during a high spin speed. This traps them between the metal drum and the outer plastic drum. She says she has seen some socks end up in the drain pump or filter screen of a washing machine as well.

Where to Check for Missing Items in the Washing Machine

If your washing machine has access to the filter screen, you can open it to see if anything is clogging the drain. (Wang also recommends doing this as a regular maintenance step!) If your washing machine does not have access to the filter screen, the only way to access it is to disassemble the machine, which should only be done by service professionals.

Some top-loading washing machines have a gap between the metal exterior and the interior basket that is large enough to allow very small items to accidentally pass through. This means socks can end up on the floor in between the tub and the washing machine exterior. While front-loading washing machines have gaskets to seal off the tub, sometimes socks can get stuck in the folds of the gasket, so don’t forget to check there as well.

How to Keep Socks from Going Missing

If you’re looking for an easy way to keep track of socks throughout your laundry process, put them in a mesh laundry bag before washing. This keeps them in one place and can be used in both the washer and the dryer. “Just make sure not to over-stuff the mesh bag so that the socks have room to move around and get clean and dry,” Wang says.