Nothing super important or insightful here, but just a quick tip that was, honestly, not something I really knew about until recently. So here goes: You should be washing your socks inside out. Or, at least any nicer, dressier socks that you want to last a longer time, and stay nice-looking throughout their life.
I never used to do this, and I found that not only would the outer of the sock start to pill and get faded, but many of my darker socks would start to develop a very noticeable fade line down the front center. This remained visible and noticeable when actually being worn. No bueno.
Look, does it add a bit of an extra step, needing to flip them right side out again while folding them after the laundry? I suppose. But you likely pull them off your feet and end up with them inside out anyway. So what really is the big deal? You’d have to do this anyway, then.
Still, socks should be replaced, if worn regularly, every 6 months to a year or so. Sound crazy? Buy a couple new pairs and bask in the difference when you first wear the new ones. (Same goes for underwear, guys!) But washing them inside out keeps them lasting as long as possible, and looking as good as possible during that time.
Indeed, there are people that will go so far as to say you shouldn’t even machine dry your socks, but instead hang them to dry. That is a line I will not cross; a world I will not enter; a lifestyle, it seems, I simply do not lead. But at least wash them inside out.