Keeping your socks clean is one of life’s most annoying tasks. Even if you keep your home and your floors pretty clean, socks can still get dirty and aren’t always the easiest to restore.

And that’s before you even consider tackling white socks that have gone grey or discoloured over time. Sure, it would be easy enough to chuck them out and buy some new pairs, but we’re in a cost-of-living crisis, so it’s good to take matters into your own hands. I decided to stop putting off this task and finally try one popular cleaning hack on my array of stained socks, using just one simple ingredient.

I headed to my nearest Asda and picked up a large bag of soda crystals from the cleaning aisle, which cost me a very impressive £2. I’d never used these for cleaning before, but they have a range of potential uses, from cleaning your washing machine to degreasing pots and pans.

Although they don’t contain a bleaching agent, they’re also said to be excellent for stain removal. That’s what Mrs Hinch fans say anyway, and they are very rarely wrong. Soda crystals are also hailed as a way to soften laundry, and as someone without a tumble dryer, this was immediately a very appealing thought.

So, armed with my dirty socks, I followed their instructions and filled a large basin with hot water before adding my socks and one cup of soda crystals.

When it started to resemble a threatening-looking soup, I then left the soda crystals to get to work for around two hours. The pros recommend leaving it overnight, but I was racing against the clock, so a couple of hours had to do.

Then, when the time was up, I carefully poured the water out of the bowl and added the socks to the washing machine with normal detergent and an extra scoop of soda crystals in the drum, just for good measure. They actually looked worse at this point—I think because they were soaking wet—so I was very much hoping the washing machine would work its magic.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry because they came out transformed after a 30C wash.

The stubborn stains had disappeared, and the socks looked so much whiter and brighter – like I had bought some new ones.

I don’t think the soda crystals made them softer, but maybe it’ll take a couple of washes before this happens.

Either way, I’ll be using them in every white wash from now on, and I’m eager to see which other cleaning jobs around the house can benefit from this affordable and simple product.