Why do my socks become hard after washing?

People who wash clothes frequently will definitely find that the clothes will become hard after washing, especially socks. The socks will be hard after drying in the sun, but will become soft again when rubbed with hands. In fact, this is caused by some minerals because generally more laundry detergent is used to wash socks. If you encounter this situation, it is recommended to soak the socks in softener after washing. What is the specific process of socks becoming hard after washing?

Why do socks become hard after washing?

This is mainly caused by the contact between minerals such as calcium and magnesium ions in the water and detergents.

The reason is that traditional detergents cannot effectively inhibit the process in which dirt is washed from clothes into the wash water and redeposited on the already clean clothes.

After being washed multiple times with traditional detergents, the original soft quality of textiles will gradually disappear, and be replaced by a hard, knotty and uncomfortable feel. This is what is known internationally as the crusting and hardening of textiles. Old towels that have been used for a long time are typical examples of this phenomenon. The reason lies in the consequences of using sodium tripolyphosphate and sodium carbonate as builders and kaolin and activated white clay as fillers in traditional detergents.

One of the important functions of sodium tripolyphosphate in traditional detergents is to combine with calcium hardness ions in water to precipitate calcium phosphate from the washing water, softening the water and thus protecting the detergency of sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate, the main detergency component in the detergent. However, calcium phosphate crystals precipitated from the washing water will not only be deposited in the washing water and the washing tub, but will also be deposited on the outer surface and internal pores of clothing and textile fibers. After repeated washing and repeated deposition, the texture of clothes and textiles will become hard. One of the important functions of sodium carbonate in traditional detergents is to convert calcium hard ions in water into calcium carbonate and deposit them in the washing water. These hard calcium carbonate scales will of course also be deposited on the surface and in the pores of clothing and textile fibers, which will cause the texture of clothes and textiles to become hard and lose their original soft quality.

What to do if your socks become hard after washing:

1. Socks become hard after washing due to fiber aging and impurity deposition. If there is no softener, you can boil them in boiling water with laundry detergent for 20 minutes, then wash them and they will be as soft as new.

2. When washing for the last time, soak it in a little vinegar, or soak it in the water used to wash rice for a while before washing and drying it, and it will remain soft.

No matter whether the stockings are of good or poor quality, soak them in a little salt water before wearing them, then put them in the freezer of the refrigerator for about half an hour, then take them out and let them dry naturally, so that the fibers will become stronger and more wear-resistant.