How this calculator works
The estimate starts with the socks that pass through the laundry. Each person wears a number of pairs a week, and each pair is two socks, so the weekly wash is the people multiplied by the pairs and by two. The loss rate is the share of those socks that never comes back. Multiplying by 52 gives the annual loss, and the price of a pair divided by two gives the cost of one sock. The lifetime figure multiplies the annual cost by the years you choose. The table shows how sensitive the total is to the loss rate.
Formula
socks washed a week = people x pairs a week x 2. socks lost a year = socks washed a week x 52 x loss rate. pairs lost a year = socks lost / 2. cost a year = socks lost x price per pair / 2. lifetime cost = cost a year x years.
Worked example
Two people wearing five pairs a week wash 20 socks a week. At a 2 percent loss rate that is 20 x 52 x 0.02 = 20.8 socks a year, or 10.4 pairs. At $8 a pair the cost is 20.8 x $4 = $83.20 a year, and $832 over ten years.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a realistic loss rate?
There is no official figure; it depends on the household, the laundry routine and how socks are stored. Two percent per wash is a moderate planning figure. Measure it for a month by counting the socks that go in and come out, then use your own number.
Where do the socks actually go?
Common culprits are the inside of a fitted sheet, the door seal of a front-loading washer, the back of a dryer drum, and a laundry basket that is shared with another room. A mesh bag for socks removes most of the mechanical routes.
Why count single socks rather than pairs?
A lost sock breaks a pair, leaving one survivor. The cost is the price of the pair divided by two, and the number of odd socks is the number lost. The odd socks can sometimes be paired with other odd socks if you buy one style and colour.
Does this include socks worn out rather than lost?
No. It counts only socks that disappear. Socks that wear through are a separate replacement cost, and they usually fail in the heel or the toe after a predictable number of washes.