How to Get Stains Out of White Socks: A Scientific-Ish Experiment

Stains are tough, but our socks are tougher… and so are you! My name's Liz, I work in our Product department, and on a rainy Thursday I did some mad sock science with five white Element Micro Crew socks.

We’ve gotten a fair share of questions about how to remove stains from socks, with statements like:

• How to get rid of dirt stains on socks
• How to get stains out of white socks
• How to get grass stains out of white socks 

We decided it was high time to do some semi-formal testing. In this blog post, I’ll explain the three stain-removal methods I used, as well as my recommendation on how to remove grass stains from socks based on the results.

If you'd like to skip straight to the results, scroll ahead to the TL;DR section, or you can continue reading to learn how and why I did these tests. Or if you're looking for more general sock care information, check out our article on washing Merino Wool socks. 

The Test Parameters

It’s worth noting that this was an informal experiment, and any of the variables could be altered for different results (e.g. type of washing machine, recency of stain). Your mileage may vary when it comes to removing stains from your own socks depending on how different the variables are from this test.

Huge shout out to my local laundromat, the crew here at Darn Tough, and the wonderful team at Woolmark for answering all my questions. Woolmark is an amazing partner of ours — go check them out for more awesome wool info on a variety of topics.  

For this test, I focused on dirt and grass stains, as sock users (that’s you!) will likely run into those kinds of stains the most. If folks are interested in seeing other stains tested, I'd be happy to do a follow up test and article. Shoot us a message on what you want to see tackled — different detergents, different stains, different sock colors, etc.

I did discuss testing blood with several coworkers, since scrapes happen so often on trail… but formalized corporate blood sacrifices required a lengthy preparation process: Waivers to sign, HR to inform… the list went on. Could be you’ll see blood stain removal included in a future follow up article, but if you're curious in the meantime, check out Woolmark's instructions for blood removal from wool.

Another coworker referenced our recent porta-potty ad when discussing this stain removal article. I’m drawing the line on replicating that one.

The Stain Removal Test Method 

I set out to address two questions with this test:  

• How should I remove stains? Especially from white socks?
• Why don't we recommend using bleach on our socks to remove stains?

To answer these questions, I tested three different stain remove methods. These tests were conducted on three Element Micro Crew socks, with me first getting all three socks as equally dirty as possible.  

The Woolmark Method: Test Sock 1

Our friends at Woolmark know a lot about wool (as evidenced by this in-depth explanation of Merino Wool fibers they wrote). They’ve put together some great resources on caring for wool, and it only made sense to see how their tips worked on socks.

Supplies used: Neutral Laundry Detergent, Alcohol, and Lint-Free Rag

For this method, I'll remove any caked-on mud or grass, spot treat with a mild soap (the detergent), then use a lint free alcohol-soaked rag to dab the stain. After that, I’ll rinse the sock and wash on a cold cycle, then let the sock air dry.

The Quick Method: Test Sock 2 

This method is for the busy folks… or you could say it’s the control in our experiment. These are the results to expect if you do a regular wash... aka wash the sock without introducing any specific stain-removal techniques. That said, we also included two other Control Socks for comparison’s sake (more on that in a minute).

Supplies used: Neutral Detergent

For this, I'll remove any caked-on detritus but forgo the alcohol spot treatment. These socks went straight in the wash, no rinsing, no additional treatment. Just detergent.

The Bleach Method: Test Sock 3

If you’ve read on our instructions on how to wash Merino Wool socks, you already know you should steer clear of bleach. We know from experience that bleach doesn't work well on our socks, but I want to show the results in formalized way, as bleach is broadly known for its stain-removing abilities.

Supplies used: Bleach and Neutral Detergent

For this, I'll brush off the sock and wash with bleach added to the load. I'll wash this last and send it off with a salute.

What will likely happen here is the fibers of the sock will be damaged by the bleach, and the sock itself will look pale yellow, stripped of the dye that makes our socks white. (R.I.P.)

Control Socks

Each of the test socks are tagged with green hang tags – Test Sock 1 has one tag, Test Sock 2 has two tags, and Test Sock 3 has three tags. This helped me identify socks during the process, and you should be able to spot them in photos to follow along (look near the top of the cuff).

I also have two control socks you will see in the images, so you can compare the Test Socks against them.

• Control Sock A was a totally unworn and unwashed sock.
• Control Sock B was unworn and washed separately with our neutral detergent.

How to Remove Stains from Socks: The Experiment Begins 

Step 1 - Supply Run

Finding a neutral pH detergent was the first step. Woolmark has some great recs depending on your global region, but I didn't recognize any of the three they suggest for the US. I had some Tide Free and Gentle left over from a visit with my mom, but from what I could tell, it tends to run alkaline.

Why is it alkaline and what makes that a problem, you ask? Slightly alkaline detergents clean better in general but may be too harsh for wool fibers. I decided to use it as a fallback detergent and headed to local grocery stores to see if they had anything better.  

Luckily for me, the stores had a staggering number of options, and I was able to grab some Woolite Delicates, which hits the neutral range of PH we are looking for. It’s also worked great for me in the past on wool sweaters. I'd love to try any of Woolmark's recommendations but could not find them at our local market for this test.  

Next up I grabbed some 70% isopropyl alcohol and the bleach. Now armed with the world’s worst cocktail mixers it was time for…  

Step 2 – Destruction of the Socks  

This part was straight forward. I wore all three tester socks over the course of 20 minutes, walking briskly back and forth in a field behind our Waterbury Mill and Office building. I made a short loop over some rocks and around a tree, repeating the process until I determined visually that each sock was sufficiently nasty. 

What surprised me here was how long it took to get grass stains on our socks at all. Turns out, Merino fibers have an outer layer that naturally resists stains (and makes them easier to clean when they do happen).

I had to scrub the socks into the grass (and clover) to get some of the big green stains you're seeing in the photos - a brisk walk while occasionally dragging my feet was not cutting it.

You can see evidence of this on a couple of our test socks; any green stains that look like dots are from my fingers pressing the sock into the grass and rubbing till it came back green. Any other streaks are from dragging my feet around.  

Step 3 - Sock Salvation (with Some Hiccups)

After committing sacrilege in the remote privacy of a back field, I walked over to the Waterbury laundromat. I gently removed dried grass from the socks in the park across the street, then realized that this laundromat didn't have a public wash basin in which I could follow the rinse/alcohol steps of the Woolmark method. Bummer. Time for plan B, my local laundromat.

Cue a half hour drive home with the test subjects.

I love my local laundromat. It was busy but cleared out quickly, and nobody batted an eye while I dabbed at a filthy sock with alcohol in the bathroom sink.

To summarize the routine I followed for Test Sock 1:

1. Apply mild soap (aka my Woolite Detergent) carefully to the stained area
2. Soak a lint-free cloth in rubbing alcohol Dab the stained with the soaked cloth   

For that initial soap application, I used room temp water, nothing too cold or too hot, but your mileage may vary if you play with that variable. I'd suggest not using hot, as heat and wool don't mix well!

For anyone worried about following instructions correctly, my "lint free cloth" happened to be a glasses cleaning cloth just because that's what I had handy. As you'll see, things turned out just fine.

Use what you got!

In hindsight, I wish I had dabbed for longer and in more areas around the sock. The technique worked super well as it was, and I wonder how much more effective it'd be if I'd dabbed for longer in more soil-stained areas. I definitely recommend more dabbing for any stubborn stains.

I used the above Woolmark process on Test Sock 1 then threw it in the wash with the Woolite detergent. I chucked Test Sock 2 straight into the wash with no additional spot treatment (just the Woolite detergent), and I washed Control Sock B separately.

Last and most horrifically came Test Sock 3: the bleach.

Full disclosure, I treat bleach like it's radioactive. Whether I'm using it to clean or to make bleach dyed t-shirts, I am extra careful with the stuff. On top of that, I used to work in customer service, where we warned people constantly not to use bleach on our socks. So, it hurt to chuck that poor little fresh Element sock into that washer.

I used maybe an ounce of bleach for the load. I was washing that sock singly, or I would have used more.

You can see it a little in the picture, but when you bleach our white socks, you sap out the dye that makes them white (undyed wool isn’t white). The bleach begins to turn our socks back to a natural off white/creamy yellow color.

Step 4 - Drying the Socks

This part was the easiest. After the wash cycles were completed, I loaded all these bad boys up and let them air dry in a safe spot at home. The weekend passed, socks dried (I got engaged!), and the results came out as follows.

The Results: The Best Stain-Removal Method for Wool Socks

Test Sock 1, which used the Woolmark method, was a clear winner. Last place goes to Test Sock 3, as that bleached sock looked and felt about as I’d feared it might. Again, bleach isn’t good for wool.

Let's break it down sock by sock:

Test Sock 1 (Woolmark Method)

The alcohol and neutral soap combo really pulled its weight. Grass stains gone, dirt stains lifted well, and the fibers felt soft and springy. The sock wasn’t perfectly white, but it looked fresh enough to pass a “would I wear this in public?” test. (Spoiler: Yes, I would.) Again, felt like I could have spent more time dabbing here for better results.

Test Sock 2 (Quick Method)

A standard wash cycle definitely cleaned things up, but the sock looked more “well loved” than “freshly washed.” If you don’t mind some lingering stains, this method is fine for the low-effort crowd. 

Test Sock 3 (Bleach Method)

The bleach sock was not as pale yellow as expected and did lift some, though not all, of the grass and dirt stains (I could have gone harder on the bleach). But... the color is noticeably different in person, definitely no longer a white sock. Worse still, the fibers feel crispier and crunchier than the other Test Socks. (Have you ever over bleached your hair or crisped it too hard in a curling iron? Something like that texture.)

Over the course of several washes with bleach, this effect will only worsen — the sock will turn more off-white, and the Merino fibers will be increasingly brittle. To illustrate this, I washed Test Sock 3 two more times with bleach to emulate the effects over time. I added one more ounce of bleach to both the washes and the results are as shown. The bleach sock is on the right, a new sock on the left, and the difference is clear.

Sock Stain Removal: TL;DR

So what did we learn?

1. The best way to remove grass and soil stains from socks starts with a quick application of neutral soap (I used the same laundry detergent I used for the wash), dabbing on alcohol as a spot treatment, then washing with a PH neutral laundry detergent.
2. Don't be shy with your alcohol dabbing: I feel like I could have gotten even better results dabbing more vigorously over more of the stains. I focused primarily on grass stains rather than some of the soil staining in the foot bed and wish I’d done the whole thing!
3. Don't bleach! Please don't use bleach on your wool garments. It damages your socks fibers, makes them less sturdy and changes the color of our socks back to a natural yellowy/off white.    

Thanks for coming along on this science experiment with me! If you're interested in more testing, let us know what kind and I’ll get on it. Stay well and stain free.

About the Author

Liz Flinn moved from Texas to Vermont for a seasonal Customer Service position at Darn Tough in 2021 and currently works as the Product Line Coordinator. They like hiking, music, video games, and spending time with their friends and community members. Their favorite socks are the Heady Stripe in Teal and the Prism.