A battle of socks

My friend KC has the whitest socks.

















My socks are always dingy, thanks to softball and trail running and my red and before than, blue, insoles. But this time I'd had enough, and decided to pull out all my tricks.

First, the dishwashing powder + bleach + hot water soak that brightened up many a t-shirt. No dice.

Second, a paste of borax and washing soda, left on a long time. A bit brighter, but still grayish.

Here they are after step two, with KC's gleaming socks for comparison.


















(If you are wondering how I ended up in possession of a pair of her socks, no, I did not steal them. I did rummage around in her bag and help myself when I found myself without, but that's what we do. She'd borrowed a sports bra of mine earlier in the week. And maybe on some unknown blog she's posting a picture of it and writing about its relative cleanliness RIGHT NOW).

Third and last, I tried a new technique: boiling with lemon.


















I'm sorry to report that this story does not have a happy ending. After I'd forgot about the boiling pot and my socks were more than al dente, I spooned them up and realized that while the white parts were whiter, the gray/red parts were still gray/red.

And peeking at the unappetizing gray brew, I concluded:
1. The strong products I've used over the past months have undoubtedly leached the black writing on the cuffs, thus soaking them in a pale gray dye, and
2. My socks have been gray for a long time, and old stains aren't easy to get out.

So I will either just not care or buy some new damn socks.
The end.