National Lost Sock Memorial Day is on Sunday, May 9, 2027, and it falls on May 9 every year. It’s a tongue-in-cheek day to mourn every sock that went into the laundry and never came back. It’s also a good day to finally toss, or repurpose, the singles in your drawer.
When Is National Lost Sock Memorial Day?
It’s always May 9. It’s an unofficial, just-for-fun day, mostly marked on social media.
Who Started National Lost Sock Memorial Day?
No founder or start year has been documented.
Background: the science of sock loss
In 2016, Samsung commissioned psychologist Dr. Simon Moore and statistician Dr. Geoff Ellis to study missing socks in the U.K. They polled 2,000 people and found the average person loses about 1.3 socks a month, or roughly 15 a year.
Over a lifetime, that adds up to an estimated 1,264 socks per person. Colored socks made up 55% of the missing ones.
The researchers even created a tongue-in-cheek “sock loss index.” It weighs household size, how often you wash, how many types of loads you run and how much you enjoy laundry. People who liked doing laundry, and checked clothes before washing, lost fewer socks.
Where Do Lost Socks Go?
Usually somewhere ordinary. In a front-loading washer, a small sock can slip under the rubber door seal, Mental Floss reports, citing the Whirlpool Institute of Home Science. In an overloaded top-loader, one can slip between the inner and outer drums.
Static in the dryer can make a sock cling inside a shirt sleeve or pant leg, where it goes unnoticed during folding. Others fall behind radiators, under beds or off the washing line.
The day pokes fun at this small household mystery. It’s a lighthearted reminder that a little attention on laundry day saves money and frustration.
How to Celebrate National Lost Sock Memorial Day
- Search the usual spots: check the washer seal, the dryer drum, under the bed and inside fitted sheets.
- Hold a “memorial”: lay the singles out and post a funny tribute online.
- Make sock puppets: add buttons and yarn for a kids’ craft.
- Repurpose singles: use them as dusting mitts, phone sleeves or heat packs filled with rice.
- Use a mesh bag: wash small socks in a zip mesh laundry bag so they stay together.
- Buy matching packs: owning many identical socks makes a missing one less of a problem.
- Donate new socks: shelters often list new socks among their most-needed items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a washing machine really eat socks?
Not literally, but small socks can get stuck under a front-loader’s door seal or slip between drums in a top-loader. Check those spots first.
How can I stop losing socks?
Turn socks right side out before washing, don’t overload the machine, wash them in a mesh bag and pair them as soon as they’re dry.
What should I do with a single sock?
Keep it for a month in case its partner turns up. After that, reuse it as a cleaning cloth or craft supply, or recycle textiles where accepted.