Ever wondered why our socks go missing after we’ve washed them? Researchers have now revealed the answer

EVER wondered why you’re constantly losing a sock in the wash? A maths formula has been put together to provide an answer.

Enjoy those matching socks while you can!

A NEW study has revealed that we lose at least one sock each month and around 1264 over a lifetime.

In the UK around 84 million socks go missing, which costs Brits a total loss of more than $3.7 million annually, according to researchers.

The survey of 2000 adults found that the most common causes of sock loss include garments falling off washing lines and blowing away or dropping behind radiators and furniture.

Men are the worst offenders with only 26 per cent taking pride in doing a wash with properly paired socks, compared to 44 per cent of women.

Now statistician Dr Geoff Ellis and psychologist Dr Simon Moore have developed a mathematical formula to predict the risk of laundry losses.

The algebraic equation is (L (p x f) + C (t x s) ) - (P x A) and the higher the figure, the greater the likelihood of losing socks where:

L = Laundry size, calculated by multiplying the number of people in the household (p) by the frequency of washes in a week (f);

C = Complexity of washing, calculated by multiplying the number of different types of darks and whites washes households do in a week (t) by the number of socks washed in a week (s);

P = Positivity towards doing the laundry, measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being a ‘strong dislike’ and 5 ‘strong enjoyment’;

And A = Attention paid, measured as the total number of precautions taken at the start of each wash out of checking pockets, unrolling sleeves, turning clothes the right way around and unrolling socks.

The study revealed that coloured socks are more than three times more likely to go missing than any other type like white, stripy or spotty socks.

But when a sock disappears, most people half-heartedly only search in the most obvious places before giving it up as lost forever.

The study was commissioned by Samsung to mark the launch of its new washing machine AddWash, which has a second door allowing users to add extra items like loose socks mid-wash.

Samsung’s Melanie Rolfe said: “We believe this new study has finally solved the age old mystery of the missing socks.”

She went on: “We are changing the way we do laundry with the new AddWash machine.

“No longer will we load the machine with trepidation as we worry whether pairs will be separated forever.

“Now we can add those loose socks and any other item of clothing we forgot mid-wash to ensure everything stays together.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission