You probably know the feeling when, after washing, the second pair of socks has once again mysteriously disappeared without a trace. You often notice this only in the rush of the morning, when you should get to work or everyday chores. 
So where do the socks go? People have sought a solution to this, for example, washing machines eating socks and household pets.
We dived into the topic a little deeper and found out what science and the experiences of real people say about it.
What does science say?
Science's answer to this is pretty straightforward: black holes. Physicist-cosmologist Stephen Hawking arrived at this solution in his book The Nature of Space and Time . According to the theory, when the machine's drum spins, it creates a spontaneous black hole, which absorbs the socks into another dimension. Hawking was known for his humor, which of course this thought was.
So what does science really say?
The company known for its washing machines, Samsung, has clarified this in its research . According to the research, socks often end up under radiators, sofas and beds, behind the washing machine or among another family member's laundry.
A study conducted in Finland shows that Finns lose an average of two socks a year and that 42% of people believe that they lose socks themselves, while 48% blame the washing machine for eating socks or they don't know what happens to the socks.
Human is to blame
From the numbers of these studies, it can be concluded that some socks are lost due to human error - probably when traveling, for example.
It is also possible that the sock gets inside another piece of clothing during washing - for example, into the trouser leg - and thus sneaks out of the apartment to drop out onto the street.
Samsung's research sheds light on the psychological reasons that lead to the loss of socks. It is often thought that " someone else has fixed the sock". Socks also face a lot of indifference and discarding, because there are always more socks and they are cheap. Confirmation bias is also present: when a person believes that socks can disappear without a trace, they stop looking for them. Out of your feet (heh), out of your mind.
In addition to these human causes, however , 48% of disappearances remain unclear. Where do they disappear to?
The culprit is the washing machine
It seems that it is true: washing machines do eat socks . During washing, socks can get into the washing machine mechanism , for example through the opening between the washing machine door and the drum or the water outlet pipe. This was proven by the property manager when he found a pile of socks, coins and even a credit card in the washing machine . Socks can therefore disappear into the drain with the waste water or get stuck forever in the machinery of the washing machine.
So what's the solution?
All kinds of solutions and tricks have been developed for this age-old problem: for example, sock clips, laundry bags, and just being organized and careful.
Our recommended solution, of course, is to simplify your sock selection - less socks, more quality. When the entire sock box is full of one and the same black sock, the lack of one, two or seven socks does not matter. High-quality black socks stay the same from wash to wash, so there is no risk that the sock will gradually change its appearance and thus be unable to find a pair.
If we didn't think of socks as a necessary evil, but as a quality garment that takes care of our daily well-being, then maybe we would also take better care of them. Don't we usually take better care of our valuables?
Check out our socks below. Hukkasukka is a high-quality domestic, black and very soft bamboo sock. You can recognize the sizes of the socks by the color of the logo, so that sorting would be easier. By buying several socks of the same type, you will always find a pair for the sock, even if a few get lost!
Pictures: 1) Tiina Piekkari 2) NASA 3) Hukkasukka
