The loose fibers from these socks get everywhere, I haven't washed them yet but I'd imagine they would get even worse. They do live up the promise of being very comfortable though. My solution to the shedding problem was to layer these socks with a larger pair of socks to at least contain the loose fibers. And it stops your friends from ridiculing the color of the socks.

They are a bit expensive and not that warm so I wouldn't recommend them to fix a cold feet problem but they are nice to wear for their soft texture.