how to donate socks

by Prof. Sandra Abbott PhD 8 min read

The most common ways are:

  • In branch - simply hand over your socks to a member of the team at their centre
  • By post - send a donation to the relevant address, as per your chosen charity
  • Drop off points - such as supermarkets or schools

If you have unworn socks that you'd like to share, consider donating them to organizations that are dedicated to sock collection — like Knock Knock, Give a Sock, Socks for Souls, Inc. or The Joy of Sox — or contact your local homeless shelter to find out where you can deliver your donation.Feb 5, 2020

Full Answer

What to do with old socks?

How to make a heat pack for a sock?

What color socks are used in Totoro?

What percentage of solid waste is discarded clothing?

How many pounds of clothing did Vancouver throw out?

What stores sort donated items for resale?

Does H&M recycle clothes?

See 2 more

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Is it okay to donate used socks?

If you're wondering where to donate old socks, it is best that they be unworn. Donation centers and other entities that receive your donations cannot make use of unwearable items and do not send them to be recycled as you might assume.

What do you do with old socks?

QUICK LINKS FOR WHAT TO DO WITH OLD SOCKSDonate Unworn Socks.Repurpose Them.Sew Those Socks.Consider a Brand's Return and Recycle Policy.Recycle Them.Compost if Made with Natural Fabrics.

How do you get rid of socks?

10 Fabulous Ways To Recycle Old SocksMake Dusting Pads. With your old socks, you can make dusting pads for cleaning surfaces in your home. ... Make Rags. You can make rags to soak away spilled water or milk. ... Hand Pads. ... Make A Pouch. ... Make A Protector. ... Beddings For Pets. ... Make Toys For Kids. ... Make Stuffing.More items...

Should you donate single socks?

You can even donate a single shoe or mismatched socks! The soles of shoes are used to make paving materials, and socks become stuffing for pillows, sleeping bags, and animal beds. Clothing and textile items simply need to be clean and dry to be recycled.

What can I do with too many socks?

13 things you can do with your old mismatched socksKeep car windows from fogging with a sock and kitty litter. ... Use your spare sock to clean a dry erase board. ... Protect valuables while moving with all of your partner-less socks. ... Make it into a DIY stress ball. ... Use your sock to keep game pieces together.More items...•

When should you throw away socks?

A solid rule of thumb is to replace your socks when the toe or heel area become threadbare, or when you find yourself having to pull your socks back up throughout the day. "Regardless of the height of your sock, it should sit comfortably on your foot and leg," she adds.

Can socks go in the recycle bin?

There's no reason to put any clothing or textiles in the bin. If you can't fix, upcycle, sell, share or give away unwanted items, they can still go into a textile recycling bank. Socks, pants, even old curtains, they can all be re-used.

Can you put socks in a clothes bank?

A holey pair of socks might have once gone straight in the bin but landfill is not the best solution for disposing of any worn-out garms. Clothing banks often request wearable donations only but search out dedicated textile banks that will shred your items and transform them into insulation or packaging.

How many pairs of socks does the average person have?

Well that's what we're here to discuss today. On average, people own between 10-20 pairs of socks. The number of socks you should own can be estimated by the number of days between laundry cycles. Typically, a fresh pair of socks should be worn each day.

Should I donate unmatched socks?

Donate them. Last, but certainly not least you can always donate your mismatched socks. It may sound less than desirable for you to wear another person's socks, but warm, dry socks are one of the most needed items for the homeless, especially during the winter or rainy season.

How many socks are thrown away each year?

They learned that while 80 percent of people recycle their used clothes, a whopping 91 percent of respondents throw away more than one pair of socks each year. In turn, this creates over 11 million tons of textile waste in landfills on an annual basis.

Should I throw away clothes?

Never throw any clothing or fabric household items in the trash. Donate unwanted clothing to friends, charities, or thrift stores. Never donate wet or moldy items to charities or thrift stores. They will not clean or dry them, and they'll end up in a landfill.

Do charity shops take socks?

Although charities are very grateful for the wide range of donations people make, they cannot do much with dirty or damaged socks. Any brand new socks can be given straight to your chosen charity, but if you're donating old socks, please make sure that they are clean and in a good state of repair before doing so.

Can I donate socks UK?

Through their #socksforacause campaign, SockShop are encouraging people across the UK to donate more socks to homeless charities - as they're one of the most needed but least donated items. Recommended charities include: Shelter, Crisis, Centrepoint, Big Issue Foundation, Depaul UK and Emmaus.

How many times should you reuse socks?

Anywhere between 15 to 25 percent of the population suffer from it at any given time. Heads Up: The Dry, Itchy Skin on Your Feet During the Winter... “If you suffer from fungal infection of the foot, chances are you also suffer from sweaty feet,” she says. “Changing your socks twice daily is recommended.

Can you compost socks?

Can you compost old socks? If you have a backyard compost, and your socks are made of 100 percent natural material (such as wool socks), you can compost them! Just be sure to remove any non-compostable materials such as buttons or zippers. Shred them into small pieces and add to your compost pile.

What We Do

Our goal is facilitate the act of giving and receiving donations of warm clothing to those in need. We do so by making it easy for donors to gift such items to communities they would like to support and by streamlining the process for organizations to obtain donations of fresh clean warm clothes.

Crew Socks

Knitted from fine soft cotton and the strongest most durable polyester.

Donation Givers

Select the organization you would like to donate to. If not in our database, choose the "Donate to an organization of your choosing" option to manually enter their shipping address.

Donation Receivers

Add your organization to our website by completing a form which can be accessed under "Contact" in our site menu.

Socks are Essential

Socks are essential as they are a key to providing us mobility; which is necessary for finding a meal, shelter, work.. When not properly protected, bacteria and fungus can attack your feet, potentially leaving you immobile. That's how important socks are!

Do you have any questions?

All products purchased through this website will be delivered to the mailing address listed just under the "buy it now" button. The organization will then distribute your donation throughout their community.

What to do with old socks?

Keep your old socks in the laundry room in a bag, and use as needed. 3) DIY Dryer ball: Make your own version of a wool dryer ball with a pair of old wool socks.

How to make a heat pack for a sock?

17) Heat pack: Soothe those aches and pains with your own DIY sock heat pack with rice. Select a non-holey sock (preferably a longer tube sock) for this project. Fill with 2-4 cups of dried rice. Tie a tight knot at the top. Warm the sock in the microwave in 1 minute increments to prevent overheating until you’ve reached the desired temperature.

What color socks are used in Totoro?

16) Stuffed Totoro: If you’re a fan of the Studio Ghibli movie Totoro, you can make your own Totoro stuffie using a white, grey, and blue sock. Check out the tutorial from Cut and Keep.

What percentage of solid waste is discarded clothing?

In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textiles were added to landfills which accounted for 7.7 percent of all municipal solid waste. In Canada, the numbers are not great either.

How many pounds of clothing did Vancouver throw out?

In Canada, the numbers are not great either. In Metro Vancouver alone, residents threw out over 44 million pounds of textiles. This works out to roughly the weight of 44 t-shirts per person.

What stores sort donated items for resale?

Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village: While we don’t want to be promoting the donation of damaged clothing, as we mentioned above, these second-hand stores sort donated items for resale, recycling, or sent overseas. Please ensure you label and bag damaged items separately. Goodwill and Salvation Army are non-profits while Value Village is for-profit.

Does H&M recycle clothes?

H&M is no stranger to this. However, kudos to H&M for introducing its textile recycling program. They accept any brand of used clothing and either rewear (sold as second-hand clothing), reuse (old clothes are turned into other items such as cleaning cloths), and recycle (textiles become insulation).

FACTS & FIGURES

On any given night, there are over 600,000 homeless people in the US, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

FOUNDER

Adina is the founder of Knock Knock, Give a Sock which she started during her sophomore year of college. She completed both an undergraduate and Master’s degree in social work at NYU. After finishing her studies, Adina decided to take KKGS full-time. She is in charge of the organization’s leadership and operations.

Tech Manager

David works as a front end developer in Tel Aviv. He graduated NYU with a degree in computer science and has been working as a freelance web developer since 2015. In his free time David can be found walking his dog, heading to the beach, and hanging with friends.

What to do with old socks?

Keep your old socks in the laundry room in a bag, and use as needed. 3) DIY Dryer ball: Make your own version of a wool dryer ball with a pair of old wool socks.

How to make a heat pack for a sock?

17) Heat pack: Soothe those aches and pains with your own DIY sock heat pack with rice. Select a non-holey sock (preferably a longer tube sock) for this project. Fill with 2-4 cups of dried rice. Tie a tight knot at the top. Warm the sock in the microwave in 1 minute increments to prevent overheating until you’ve reached the desired temperature.

What color socks are used in Totoro?

16) Stuffed Totoro: If you’re a fan of the Studio Ghibli movie Totoro, you can make your own Totoro stuffie using a white, grey, and blue sock. Check out the tutorial from Cut and Keep.

What percentage of solid waste is discarded clothing?

In 2018, 11.3 million tons of textiles were added to landfills which accounted for 7.7 percent of all municipal solid waste. In Canada, the numbers are not great either.

How many pounds of clothing did Vancouver throw out?

In Canada, the numbers are not great either. In Metro Vancouver alone, residents threw out over 44 million pounds of textiles. This works out to roughly the weight of 44 t-shirts per person.

What stores sort donated items for resale?

Goodwill, Salvation Army, and Value Village: While we don’t want to be promoting the donation of damaged clothing, as we mentioned above, these second-hand stores sort donated items for resale, recycling, or sent overseas. Please ensure you label and bag damaged items separately. Goodwill and Salvation Army are non-profits while Value Village is for-profit.

Does H&M recycle clothes?

H&M is no stranger to this. However, kudos to H&M for introducing its textile recycling program. They accept any brand of used clothing and either rewear (sold as second-hand clothing), reuse (old clothes are turned into other items such as cleaning cloths), and recycle (textiles become insulation).

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