Quick answer: Wash at 30 degrees or cooler, inside out, on a gentle cycle, with no fabric conditioner. Never tumble dry them and never dry them on a radiator - heat destroys the elastane, and once that goes the sock cannot grip again.
The stretch is the sock. Everything else is fabric. Once the elastane has gone you own a slightly odd knee-high with no purpose, and heat is what takes it away.
The short version
Cool wash, inside out, gentle cycle, no conditioner, no tumble dryer, dry flat or on a line away from direct heat. That is the whole method, and following it roughly doubles how long a pair stays useful.
Temperature
Thirty degrees or cooler. Elastane starts losing its recovery well below the temperature most people think of as a hot wash, and the damage is cumulative rather than dramatic - it is not that one warm wash ruins them, it is that twenty of them do.
A cool wash also does everything that needs doing here. These are socks worn against clean skin, not muddy sports kit, and modern detergent works perfectly well at 30.
Inside out
Two reasons. The inside is the surface that has been against your skin all day, so that is the side that actually needs washing. And it puts the outer face away from the drum and the zips and buttons of everything else in the load, which is where snags come from.
The cycle
Gentle or delicates if your machine has it. The high-speed part of a spin cycle is hard on fine knitwear, and there is nothing in a pair of socks that needs 1,400 revolutions a minute to get water out.
A mesh laundry bag is worth the two pounds it costs, particularly for open-toe and footless styles, which snag most easily. It stops socks wrapping around other things, stops them stretching in the drum, and means you can find both of them at the end.
Detergent, and what to leave out
Use: ordinary liquid detergent, a normal dose.
Skip fabric conditioner. This is the one people are surprised by. Conditioner works by coating fibres, and that coating reduces elastane's ability to recover. It also makes the sock slightly slippery, which is the opposite of what you want from something meant to stay put on your leg.
Skip bleach and anything oxygen-based for whites - it attacks elastane directly.
Drying, where most pairs get ruined
Never a tumble dryer. Not on low, not on an air cycle you are not sure about, not "just this once because I need them tomorrow". A tumble dryer is the single fastest way to finish a pair of compression socks.
Never on a radiator or over a heater either, which is the same problem in a slower form and the mistake people make in winter.
Dry them flat on a towel, or hang them on a line or airer away from direct heat and out of strong sunlight. They dry faster than you would expect because there is not much fabric there.
Hand washing
Fine and sometimes easier, particularly away from home. Cool water, a small amount of detergent, gentle squeezing rather than wringing or twisting.
To get the water out, lay the sock flat on a towel, roll the towel up with the sock inside, and press. That removes most of the water without stretching anything, and it is what you should do in a hotel sink rather than twisting them into a rope - the crew guide covers washing on the road.
How often
After every wear. This is not optional in the way it might be with an ordinary sock - a compression sock is snug against your skin for hours, and it needs washing each time.
Which is precisely why you want more than one pair, whether that is an everyday set or a work set. Three is a sensible minimum for anything regular, and rotating them makes each one last longer than a single pair washed constantly - the multipacks are the cheapest way there.
Zip-up socks
One extra step: fasten the zip before washing. An open zip snags everything in the load including the sock itself, and bent teeth finish the sock even if the fabric is perfect - the zip-up range covers those.
What a well-washed pair looks like after a year
Slightly softer than new, holding its shape, still snug at the ankle, with the top band still sitting flat. That is normal and fine.
What tells you a pair is finished is the top band no longer gripping, a baggy ankle, or the sock going on far too easily compared with when it was new - the care and FAQs guide covers when to replace them, and the care guide covers what to expect over time.
Storage
Flat in a drawer, or loosely folded. Do not ball them by turning one cuff over the other, which is how most people store ordinary socks - it stretches the cuff permanently, and the cuff is the part doing the most work.
Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from radiators when stored, and keep knee-high pairs flat rather than folded at the calf, for exactly the same reason as when drying - the everyday range covers what to buy.
This is comfort advice, not medical advice.
The short version
- Heat is the enemy: 30 degrees or cooler, and never a tumble dryer or a radiator.
- Wash inside out on a gentle cycle, ideally in a mesh bag.
- Skip fabric conditioner - it coats the fibres and reduces elastane recovery.
- Roll in a towel to squeeze water out rather than wringing or twisting.
- Never ball them cuff-over-cuff; that stretches the part doing the most work.
Frequently asked questions
What temperature should I wash compression socks at?
Thirty degrees or cooler. Elastane loses its recovery well below what most people consider a hot wash, and the damage is cumulative - it is not one warm wash that ruins them but twenty of them.
Can I tumble dry compression socks?
No. A tumble dryer is the single fastest way to finish a pair, and that includes low heat and air cycles. Drying them on a radiator is the same problem in slower form. Dry flat or on a line instead.
Should I use fabric conditioner?
No. Conditioner works by coating fibres, and that coating reduces elastane's ability to recover. It also leaves the sock slightly slippery, which is the opposite of what you want from something meant to stay put.
How do I get the water out without wringing?
Lay the sock flat on a towel, roll the towel up with the sock inside, and press. That removes most of the water without stretching anything, and it is the right method for a hotel sink too.
How should I store them?
Flat in a drawer or loosely folded, out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Never ball them by turning one cuff over the other - it permanently stretches the cuff, which does the most work.
