Stained socks look grimy, but a simple laundry hack can help restore even really old socks to their former glory days.

When you go to wash socks normally, you may find they come out of the wash looking just as stained.

This can be annoying, especially if you have gone out of your way to use a stain remover on them.

Thankfully, there is a way to whiten socks with natural ingredients you might already have in your home.

According to one Facebook contributor, there's a natural solution you can make at home that can guarantee white socks.

"I learned this tip from a housewife," the contributor said. "And now I remove the dirt from my socks without even scrubbing."

In a bowl, he adds 500ml of hot boiled water, one tablespoon of baking soda, a tablespoon of detergent – any in your home will do – and white vinegar.

He said adding vinegar is "essential" for the cleaning solution to work.

"I will add two tablespoons [of white vinegar]," he said. "The last item we will use in this mixture is salt. Just one tablespoon is enough."

The powerful cleaning mixture

• 500ml hot water
• One tbsp baking soda
• One tbsp detergent
• Two tbsp white vinegar
• One tbsp salt

After mixing the ingredients together in a bowl of hot water, you can add the dirty socks.

"This mixture will help lighten your socks again," he promised. "Even after staining."

He said this mixture will "remove all dirt without any effort" - all you need to do is let the socks soak for at least three hours.

"After three hours of soaking, my socks are already clean," he said. The socks will need drying out after being left to soak for so many hours.

The Facebook contributor said this laundry hack can also be used to whiten and brighten other white clothes.

Having garnered more than 9,000 likes on the social media platform, it's telling that his hack is a great hit.

Lots of people gave their thanks in the comment section saying the tip worked "wonders".