Baseball socks will never be as clean and fresh as the first time your child wears them. Or will they? With some smart laundry hacks, you can keep your child’s socks in tip-top shape so they can stay fresh and continue to give your child the boost of confidence they need to hit one out of the park.
MadSportsStuff makes custom baseball socks that are as high performing as they are fun. Between mascot logos, stars and stripes, custom number designs and all your favorite colors, you can always find a pair of adult or youth baseball socks in a unique style that makes you feel and look great. Now let’s get down to the business of how you should take care of them.
Tips and Tricks for Keeping Baseball Socks in Good Shape
MadSportsStuff socks have a double-welt top, blister control, and other features designed to make them comfortable and reliable. Our socks also have odor control and some antimicrobial properties to control bacteria growth.
Still, your child’s socks will come home sweaty and you can’t avoid every stain and smell. Here are eight ways to keep new colorful custom baseball socks looking as good as new.
1. Wash Baseball Socks Quickly After Wear
It’s no surprise that the longer socks sit in their stench and grass stains after a baseball game (good job sliding into home plate!), the harder it will be to get them back to their original state. Instead of letting socks sit in a gym bag overnight after a big game, start soaking them right away. Even if you don’t run them through a full laundry load immediately, they can be pretreated with warm water and vinegar (more on that later) so they’re ready to be washed first thing in the morning.
2. Always Use a Mesh Bag to Launder Socks
Losing socks is such a common occurrence for most people that it’s a joke. It always seems like you lose at least one sock per cycle – you’re almost ready to put up missing posters! Since you’ve invested money and time choosing your athletic sock style, you don’t want to lose your MadSportsStuff socks. Always launder your new custom baseball socks in a mesh bag so they don’t have a chance to run off behind the machine or be stolen by the family dog.
3. Get an Enzyme Heavy Detergent
Some detergents are better at breaking down protein-based stains like perspiration than others. Specifically, a detergent that is rich in enzymes (a protein that speeds up chemical reactions) can better break down the sweat that lives in your baseball socks and baseball attire after a game. Arm & Hammer brand is known for using enzymes in their detergent, but you can also find other options on the market.
4. Protect Colors with Cold Water
On the one hand, hot water does a better job at killing germs. On the other hand, you can better protect the vibrant colors on your custom socks by washing your athletic gear in colder water. One compromise is to use a detergent that is specifically formulated to work in cold water. You could also soak baseball socks in hot water for a few minutes before you put them in a full cycle with cold water.
5. Wash Socks Inside Out
This quick and easy trick takes just a few seconds to implement. You probably don’t think about what side is out when you throw athletic socks in the wash. But you should! Putting your baseball socks inside out protects the colors and designs on bright MadSportsStuff custom baseball socks. This tactic can’t avoid all fading, but it will keep your socks looking brighter for longer. Combined with cold water washing, inside out laundering could give your luckiest pair of socks a longer lifespan.
6. Combat Odor with Charcoal and Baking Soda
If your little baseball star has some seriously stinky feet after a tournament day, you may need to turn to some secret weapons. The first item to pull out of your bag of tricks is baking soda. This well-known deodorizer can be put in the water of your wash cycle, sprinkled into the bottom of your shoes, and/or sprinkled on the toe area of your child’s youth baseball socks before they put shoes on.
Activated charcoal can also help with persistent odors in baseball shoes. It doesn’t matter how well you eliminate odors from your baseball socks if your cleats smell like they just stepped out of a bog. Put a little cloth bag filled with activated charcoal in each of your baseball cleats. When you keep shoe odors at bay, your socks benefit as well.
7. Throw Some Vinegar in for Tough Smells and Stains
Washing an entire load of sweaty baseball attire? Throw some vinegar in the wash to keep the socks from stinking up a storm even after they’re laundered. Bonus: vinegar also helps you get rid of underarm sweat stains on shirts and keeps colors intact. About a ½ cup of vinegar per load will do the trick. In addition to keeping your socks odor-free after a wash, vinegar also acts as a fabric softener and gets rid of mildew.
As if that wasn’t enough, putting white vinegar in with your socks’ first wash could help lock in the dye and prevent bleeding. If you’re short on vinegar, a ½ cup of salt will also set the color dye and set your socks up for a lifetime of bold color.
8. Never Put Away Damp Socks
Finally, you can store your socks just about any way you’d like. In the ongoing debate between balling up socks and folding over the tops, we say: do what makes you happy. However, we do have one hard and fast rule for putting away custom baseball socks once they’re out of the dryer or taken off the line (bonus PSA: air drying your socks may keep the colors brighter for longer).
Our rule is that you should never put your socks away damp. More than most other articles of clothing, putting away socks before they’re fully dry promotes bacteria growth and bad smells. Do yourself and the longevity of your athletic socks a favor and always put them away fully dry!
MadSportsStuff Socks Make It to the Ninth Inning
If your child’s baseball socks are sagging by the top of the 6th, they’re not doing them any favors. Quality socks not only stay looking good, but they also perform well during a baseball game, too. You can get MadSportsStuff custom socks in your child’s favorite colors and help them express their unique style with our fun prints.
We even offer custom baseball socks so they can rock their unique style any way they want. From stirrup socks for an old school vibe to tall socks for a more modern look, you can’t go wrong as long as they’re being true to their style.
Even better, MadSportsStuff is proud to offer custom baseball socks with arch support, compression support, and moisture wicking. Our socks just do the job better than other brands. With fast turnaround time for regular orders (we usually ship within one business day) and custom orders available within 4-6 weeks, it’s never a bad time to stock up on more fun socks. Your child will always be visible from the stands – even when they’re in the outfield!
While you’re here, check out our baseball pants and custom striped baseball socks to complete your child’s baseball uniform today!
