What Do You Fill a Door Sock With?

Dirt or Sand

• Any kind of dirt or sand works for filling a door sock. This filling material has a few major advantages. First, it is very inexpensive. If you need to make a lot of door socks, you can get just one large bag of dirt or sand and use it to fill all of them. Second, sand is not damaged by water. Even though you should try to not get your door socks wet, accidents happen, and you can rest assured that a little water will not damage your filling. Lastly, dirt and sand are heavy and will keep the door socks in place well.

Dry Foods

• Several types of dry foods work well for filling door socks. This is the easiest filling to use if you are making just one or two door socks for yourself and don't want to go to a specialty store to purchase a different type of filling. Some possible fillings include rice, beans and plain dry popcorn kernels. However, these organic fillings are susceptible to rotting or growing mold if they get wet.

Synthetic Materials

• A wide variety of synthetic materials make appropriate fillings for door socks. Small styrofoam beads, like those used to fill beanbag chairs, are a little lightweight, but are very inexpensive. Polyester fiberfill or polyester pellets also work well. Batting or fibrous home insulation are other options. One of the major benefits of synthetic materials is that many of them insulate better than natural or organic materials, helping prevent cold air from making its way through the door sock.

Other Ideas

• Anything that is not likely to decay over time, is inexpensive, and is flexible enough to fit tightly into the crack between the floor and the door is fair game for door sock material. Some additional ideas for filling include miscellaneous fabric scraps, kitty litter, aquarium rocks or a combination of materials. For example, combine sand, which is heavy, with some fluffy insulation, which might not stay in place on its own, to create a combination filling for a door sock.