How to never lose socks again

They say nearly a quarter of the universe is filled by dark matter, while we don't know exactly what that is, I'm guessing its comprised of odd socks. Somewhere between your laundry basket and your pile of folded washing, at least one sock always goes missing! Where does it go? I'm afraid we'll never know - but one thing is for sure, there are ways to avoid it!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Socks, socks and more socks!
• Safety pins

1. The sock gnome only preys upon the vulnerable, so always make sure each of your socks has a buddy. After wearing socks, pair them up with a safety pin before tossing into the laundry basket. This prevents loss and makes folding up washing easy.
   There are drawbacks however to this method. It can be time consuming, so if you do the washing for a large family, encourage them to pin up their own. Also, pins can get quite hot inside the dryer, so always ensure your washing has cooled down before handling. Pinning can cause wear and tear at the pin insertion point.
2. Another buddying up method to try is to teach all in the house to make a habit of clipping one of the edges over the other sock. With all of the washing and tumbling, there is a risk of separation.
3. Wash and dry your socks in a delicates or nylon net bag to foil the gnome's attempts. This should minimise your risk of loss but it may reduce your cleaning efficiency.
4. If the dryer's where you sock gnome hides, save money and socks by hanging your washing on a clothes line. It's good for the environment as well.
5. Confuse the gnome by having socks which are uniform. Choosing 10 pairs of matching socks may sound boring, but imagine your joy when you easily find a match. While it won't quiet the gnome's hunger, you'll be able to quiet your frustration over lone socks.