I have cotton socks, and they are really ruff to wear, and I stopped wearing them when I started to suspect that they were causing chaffing on parts of my feet.

Are there ways to make them softer, are my socks bad, do I only have the choice of polyester socks???

  • Are you sure they’re cotton? Synthetics tend to be more stiff than natural fibers like cotton.

    I haven’t had stiff cotton anything since about 1978. Companies have been pre-washing cotton since at least the mid-70’s to make it softer.

    Try washing and tumble dry on low, without completely drying them.

    • Came here for this. Cotton took over the world because it’s initially softer than any alternative. once linen or hemp wear in they are better but that can take the whole lifetime of a cotton garment and capitalism demands you buy more sooner.

      I’ve recently in the past few years moved to bamboo socks, basically wool socks you can also wear in summer.

  • Freeze them after washing them. When I was a kid we did not have a dryer, and dried clothes on a clothesline. One thing I loved about the winter was how soft my clothes felt after they froze on the line before drying.

    • Mothra ( Mothra@mander.xyz ) 
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      2 years ago

      Wait what? Can you explain a bit more about this method? Do you chuck the wash straight into the freezer or do you let it drip dry for a while first? Does it work on wool? I’ve never lived in a place with frost or snow so this is news for me

  • Washing in hard water can make cotton feel rougher.

    Also when cotton is damp, like if you sweat much, it tends to be abrasive. That is why hikers say ‘cotton kills’ and recommend you stay away from it in favor of wool or synthetic ‘technical’ fabrics.

    • butiloveu ( butiloveu@lemmy.ml ) 
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      2 years ago

      If they harden up because of hard water (for example water with a high lime content). Try to put them in a bucket with water and two big scopes of citric acid powder 4h to 12h before washing them. You can get citric acid almost anywhere online (ebay, Amazon etc.) This should soften them.

      You can also use citric acid as a washing powder replacement if you don’t look for deep cleaning but softening your cotton cloth, but don’t use to much of it or too often because it can and will attack the metal parts of the washing machine.

      But usually the the motor will die before serious damaged is caused as long you don’t overdo it.

  • Mothra ( Mothra@mander.xyz ) 
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    2 years ago

    Are you using softener in your wash? If not, then you should. I typically don’t like using softener but occasionally do if I know what I’m washing is going to turn out like cardboard