Why a Soap Sock with Dial soap in it? To keep the deer away. The deer usually eat the flower buds before the flowers even get a chance to bloom. Last year, instead of using a colorful sock like this one, I used knee-high stockings for the Dial Soap Stockings in my gardening area. Got to see the flowers bloom last year, thanks to the Dial Soap Stockings. Sorta gloomy photo because it was raining out when taking the photo today.