Here are the instructions and best practices for making socks brightly white.

One gallon of water will accommodate around six pairs of socks.

Overnight is even better.

Pristine, white socks on a drying rack

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Try these cleaners to whiten white socks:

Warning

Do not mix cleaning ingredients together.

Use only one whitener at a time.

Two products that work very well alone,vinegar and chlorine bleach, are highly toxic when combined.

Overhead view of materials needed to make socks white again

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Use a brightening agent like hydrogen peroxide every other wash to keep things looking great.

Dangers of Mixing Bleach with Cleaners.Washington State Department of Health

2018 Annual Report.American Association of Poison Control Centers

Creating a hot water bath for the socks

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Adding the cleaning agents to the hot water bath

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Soaking the socks in the hot water bath

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

Removing the socks from the hot water cleaning solution

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley