My husband has always had a problem with blisters on his feet when he walks too much.  After a trip to London, where my husband got a severe blister on our first day there and almost ruined our trip, I did some research and found these socks. He used these socks on our next trip to Sicily and has been wearing them daily since then. Since having these socks no matter how much he walks he never gets a blister.  Yes, I would recommend washing and air drying them.  However, my husband has been using the same 12 pairs of socks for 5 years and he is just now needing to replace them, so with proper care they will last a long time and you'll more than get your moneys worth, not only in wear, but also in never getting another blister.  I highly recommend these.