Grippy Socks

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Sliding backwards down a slippery staircase adds unnecessary excitement to the daily routine. I, for instance, have been unnecessarily excited in this manner too many times to count. Other people have noticed too—such as Nate, who suggested I get some “grippy socks.” (They’re the socks with the little plastic beads on the bottom that grip the floor and prevent falls.)  But rather than waiting for me to buy them, he got me a few pairs last Christmas and I loved them so much, I asked for more socks in an array of colors this Christmas—and got them. As a result, I feel safer in the house when I’m in it. (So does everyone else.) Now, I can go running down the stairs with a chef’s knife and no one blinks twice.

Then, last week, Nate went in to work for the first time since sometime before Christmas. Mostly, he works at home, but every once in a while, he has to check in at the office. Once there, he discovered that various work colleagues had left him Christmas cards and gifts: wine, cat toys for our cat, some gift cards, and really cool socks. The socks were of various colors, and the bottoms said things like: If you can see this, bring me wine/beer/doughnuts/tacos/pizza.

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“What am I going to do with these?” Nate asked.

“They’re super cool! We should keep them. Ooh! Do they have grippy things on the bottoms?”

I turned them over, but they did not have grippy things.

“I guess we should pack them up and give them away then,” Nate said.

“No! I’ve heard that you can transform non-grippy socks into grippy socks with puffy paint.”

Nate nodded his head and checked to make sure that the first aid kit was still fully stocked. Then, I went to the store and looked for puffy paint. I couldn’t find any, but I did find this spray can of stuff called: Odíf Grippy Non-Slip Coating: Does not stain fabric/Acid free-Quick dry. So, I brought it home and decided to spray some of it onto the bottoms of the socks. Here are the steps I followed:

–According to various websites, it’s important to stretch the sock out first, so that when you your project is finished, and you put the sock on, the expansion resulting from sticking a foot inside a sock won’t crack the paint/spray stuff. So, I traced Nate’s feet onto cardboard. He did the same for me. Then, I cut out the shapes and stuffed them inside the socks to expand them.

–Next, I just needed to spray the bottoms of the socks with the “Grippy” coating. Since I was already in the kitchen with Nate, I decided I’d just finish the project in the kitchen, but there were some problems with this idea:

*The fumes are much worse than any trip I’ve ever taken down the stairs.

*The fumes are highly flammable, and Nate wanted to use the gas stove to make pancakes.

So, I went outside instead and sprayed away.

–Finally, I let the socks dry for several hours. Then, I put them on and ran down the stairs. I’m happy to report that the socks gripped into the floors, and I did not experience unnecessary excitement.

This product is a major breakthrough, I think. If you’re the type who slips off your chair during a Zoom meeting, you can just spray this stuff on the back of your pants, and you will no longer be the butt of anyone’s jokes at work. Also, it would help prevent you from falling off a barstool, when bars are open again someday.

In the meantime, Nate, Alex, and I have safe, sassy socks that order onlookers to bring us yummy treats, like pizza, beer, tacos, and doughnuts. Since it’s just the three of us, though, we’re the ones running around the house getting our own treats, but at least we won’t take any nasty spills along the way. Ah! Boredom never felt so safe!

Your Turn: What kind of footwear do you like to wear at home?

Published by ckennedy

Author of the DIY blog: Fixin' Leaks and Leeks. Paper/Rock Writing Consultation, Sole Proprietor.

31 thoughts on “Grippy Socks”

  3. Those socks are great! But not the grippy ones. I once had a pair grab a stair step and refuse to let go – I nearly dislocated my knee! I managed to catch myself before I could roll down to the bottom. Was quite an adventure perpetrated by a sock. 😉

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  7. This blog is always entertaining and educational. Like Sesame Street with cocktails. I really like your Not-Flying-By-The-Seat-Of-Your-Pants-Off-The-Barstool idea, although the name needs some work.
    Around the house, I generally wear rubber snorkeling flippers, because I like the sound they make on the hardwood floors.

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  8. ok… so can you wash the socks and have the grippy stuff on it? Your posts always make me smile. I can just see some moms spraying their kids pants to keep them on the chairs now… of course maybe you could just spray the chair? In my house the boys are always barefoot, yes even now in winter. My husband always has shoes on, year round and me… I go barefoot until it’s cold and then wear whatever socks I pull out, none of them are grippy

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    1. I just ran Nate’s socks through the washer and dryer. I turned the grippy part/soles inside out. I was worried about running them through the dryer because of the high heat, but nothing caught on fire. After washing the socks inside out, it might be best to just let them air dry. Cheers!

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    1. That is the “after” picture:) It dries clear! Nate’s socks are the clearest. Mine dried with just a little bit of “dandruff”-like stuff, but I can overlook that. And yes, so much fun–it’s like we never, ever argue–LOL.

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  12. I have socks just like those except they say Wine–I love them. I agree, grippy socks, especially those warm fuzzy ones are the best. I’m usually in slippers all day now, and the beautiful shoes I had for the office are languishing in my closet!

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    1. I’m at the point where I no longer want beautiful shoes. I just want to wear a cute top, some jeans or yoga pants, and bright, crazy grippy socks that don’t match the outfit at all. Cheers!

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  13. That’s an amazing idea! I wish I had thought of that when I lived in my old apartment, with its super slippery floors. I don’t really wear socks (they tend to slip right off my feet for whatever reason), but that’s a smart idea. I do have to confess, though, that when there are a few stains on my floors, I spray some all-purpose cleaning product on the bottoms of my old socks and go sock-skiing across the house to clean up. Gotta make it fun, right?

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