What Is Laundry Stripping and Should You Do It?

Heres how and when to strip wash dingy textiles the right way.

Even when washed regularly with detergent, these linens never seem to get fully clean.

Because of this, there has been a huge interest in laundry stripping, also known as strip washing.

Basically, strip washing your laundry falls under the “grossly satisfying” category ofcleaning tasks.

So, should you try it?

Might you actually be soaking your clothes for too long if you do?

What Is Laundry Stripping?

By soaking garments and linens inhot waterwith an at-home borax solution, the fabric is stripped of any residue.

Many cleaning bloggers have started strip washing because they use homemade laundry soap.

Mixing up your own laundry detergent can help you avoid chemicals and plastic packaging and save you money.

It’s also great to do on secondhand textiles, especially blankets and quilts.

On the flip side, these formulas often don’t wash off of fabric as well as store-bought detergents.

In fact, soap residue that doesn’t wash away will collect dust and dirt.

What You’ll Need:

Gather some just-washed laundry, either wet or dry.

Start by filling the tub with very hot water.

Once the mixture has dissolved, add your laundry.

Let the fabric soak until the water has cooled, about 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Enjoy your ultra-clean bed sheets and bath towels.

Fabric that isn’t colorfast is more likely to bleed the longer you soak it.

For that reason, you might want to use strip washing for white bath towels and bed sheets only.

Don’t try this technique on delicate or fragile items.

While it does take some extra effort, laundry stripping actually works.

Pillows with synthetic polyester and cotton filling can be stripped like clothes to remove heavy build-up.

You cannot strip feather or memory foam pillows.

Laundry stripping does not remove stains.

Use a separate stain fighter as part of your regular laundry routine when needed to remove stains.

Technically, yes, it’s possible for you to.