Science Daily reports that washing machines may not be killing the harmful germs that get onto our clothing. A study preformed in the UK found that even after going through a wash cycle, clothing had traces of the bacteria MRSA and Acinetobacter. MRSA can cause skin infections, urinary tract infections and pneumonia and is more likely to affect the elderly, children and those with a weakened immune system. The study found that in order for both forms of bacteria to be eliminated the water temperature must be 140 degrees Fahrenheit. If the water is only 104 degrees, it kills MRSA, but leaves Acinetobacter behind. It did mention that if you use an iron at 40 degrees after washing, it would kill off the remaining Acinetobacter. The article didn’t say anything about a dryer, but it seems to me that if you dry your clothes at a high temperature it would also kill off all bacteria.
Lower temperatures are being used in order to conserve energy, but it could end up causing us harm. The amount of germs that are killed can also depend on the type of detergent you use. Liquid detergents usually don’t contain bleaching agents like powder detergents do, and may not strong enough to clean effectively. It is best to always separate underwear and other clothing items from bed and kitchen linens. Lifehacker even recommends putting a cup of Listerine mouthwash in your laundry to kill bacteria. Just make sure to use one with no artificial colors and do a test run to be sure it won’t stain your clothing.
Hopefully this information hasn’t scared your socks off. Maybe you should go wash them again just to be sure. And if you want to read more you can find out more at the following sites: sciencedaily.com, dailymail.co.uk, lifehacker.com
Socks are great for warming up our feet and making sure they don’t stink up a room, but they have many other uses you may not have thought about. Real Simple made a list of “New Uses for Clothing” in which many ideas involved the use of socks. Here are some ideas with photos.
1. Place socks on the legs of furniture to protect your precious wooden floors.
2. Use a sock as a wine bottle bag. Give two bottles as a gift for a complete pair.
3. Use a lingerie bag to keep socks organized and prevent them from getting lost.
4. Place socks over your shoes while traveling to protect from dirt and damage.
5. Add some puffy paint to the bottom of socks to make them slip-proof.
6. Coffee too hot? Then slip a sock over your cup and drink up.
7. Place sunglasses inside mittens (or socks) to prevent scratches.
8. Protect your light bulbs by placing them in socks.
9. Keep cords together and out of the way with a trouser sock.
10. Does it snow where you live? Use a sock over your wipers so you don’t have to deice them.
A fabric called Power Felt has been developed that could come in handy when our cell phone is about to die. The fabric is made up of carbon nanotubes that uses differences in temperature to get a charge. We give off so much body heat that doesn’t get put to any use, but with this technology we could harvest this body heat and convert it into electricity. Once the fabric is charged, you can put the power felt on your cell phone in order to charge the battery. It could also line the seat of your car, be placed under roof shingles to catch rising heat, or possibly be made into clothing.
A good idea may be to make Power Felt socks since our feet can get hot and sweaty while walking all day long. It may motivate us to work out longer in order to make enough body heat to “charge” our socks and use the energy to power our electronics. It may be a smelly way to gain power, but could prove beneficial, especially with the increasing search for new sources of energy.
If you want to read more about this Power Felt you can find the article on forbes.com.
Last week, Rolling Stone writer, Jann Wenner, conducted an interview with Barack Obama. The last time Wenner interviewed Obama, he complimented Wenner’s bright socks. So this time Wenner had a gift for the president, two pairs of socks in salmon and black with pink stripes. Obama stated that “these will be my second-term socks.” There are many different ideas flying around about what he actually meant by that statement, but we can at least agree that Obama loves a pair of socks.
We may not carry the colorful striped socks that Obama received, but we carry the politically correct black and white socks. And for the record, our socks are most definitely worthy of first term AND second-term. If you want to read Obama’s interview with Rolling Stone you can read it here at rollingstone.com.
These cookies I found on blogspot are very cute. They got the idea from a Valentine’s day card that had a picture of a pair of socks and read “I was lost until I found you.” You can call it corny, but the cookies look pretty cute, yet simple.
Although this idea was intended for Valentine’s Day, they can be made for many occasions. It would be a great idea for a baby shower or you could make them look like Santa socks for Christmas. You could even decorate scary socks for Halloween. The possibilities are endless. Baking isn’t for everyone, so if you would like some sock cookies without the work, maybe you could pass the idea by one of your friends who likes to bake. If you want to check out the decorating tips you can visit the blog here.
Socks are not a scary thing, but apparently the cat in the video thinks so. I found this video to be pretty entertaining and wanted to share. I’d like to think that the cat isn’t scared at all and loves socks so much he jumps in excitement. Yes, that is unlikely, but who really knows what cats are thinking anyway?
We mentioned in a previous post how smelly socks could help prevent malaria. Well, now they can be designed a certain way to cure athletes foot. The special socks are made with copper oxide which is an anti-fungal agent. Cupron, Inc. donated these special copper socks to the Chilean miners who were trapped back in 2010. The miners had developed numerous skin problems while exposed to the bad conditions underground including itchy and dry feet. Thirteen out of the fourteen miners who wore the socks noticed an improvement and said their condition disappeared after wearing them. It is not proven if the socks really did in fact cure their condition as the miners could not be evaluated while trapped. The study is also based on what they remember which may or may not be completely accurate.
Although more studies are needed to find out if these socks can indeed cure fungal conditions, I find that socks in general can be a life changing item to have on hand. You never know what they can do. Stay tuned for more sock news in the future!
If you want to read the full report find it on foxnews.com.
The economy isn’t exactly at its peak right now and jobs aren’t the easiest to find. But when you do get an interview, don’t forget to check your socks before walking out that door. They may not seem all that important, but they could make more of a statement than you wish.
1. Make sure they are the appropriate socks for the interview, professional and a dark shade. Bright yellow may seem cheerful, but it isn’t the smartest choice.
2. Avoid getting dressed in the dark unless you want to run the risk of picking out two socks that are two different colors. And no, navy blue and faded black are not technically the same color.
3. And lastly, actually wear socks. You may be in a rush to be there on time, but forgetting your socks may lead you to do some crazy things. One job seeker colored his ankles with a marker when he realized he forgot his socks. I think the interviewer may have forgotten to give him that job.
So take your socks a little more seriously and you may end up nailing that job interview. And when you finally do get that job, no need to send us a thank you letter. Just order some more socks for your new job and we’ll get the memo.
There are sock monkeys, sock puppets, and of course socks you wear on your feet, but what about car socks? It sounds like something silly, but it is a product that could be very useful for those who drive in the snow. It is fabric that is put onto the tires in order to provide better traction while driving on icy roads. They originated in Scandinavia and the UK, and may soon be used in the United States.
Which.co.uk tested the car socks to see how well they work. The test revealed that the socks definitely worked better than regular tires alone, but were not as ideal as winter tires. If you can’t afford the high cost of winter tires, these car snow socks would be a better and cheaper option. Take a look at the video below to see these socks in action.
