What Is Laundry Stripping? How It Works, Why It’s Gross, and Why You’ll Love It
Learn how to strip laundry! Our easy 3-ingredient laundry stripping recipe is more powerful than bleach!
Have you tried this sort of gross, yet oddly satisfying washing ‘trend‘ yet? 😂 The more I researched laundry stripping, the more I found lots of savvy cleaning sites have content surrounding the concept, but I had never tried it myself and wanted to give a laundry stripping recipe a shot!
What is laundry stripping? It’s all about getting the stink and funk out of fabric! The idea is to soak and detox clothes, workout gear, sheets, and/or towels in water for a long time using a powerful mix of Borax, washing soda, and powdered laundry detergent. Bacteria, body oils, dirt, and fabric softener build-up get released along with the hard-to-remove stinky smells.
Keep reading to see how even CLEAN white sheets and towels can have such a build-up and create dark water when soaked!
Here’s how to strip laundry and detox clothes, towels, and linens:
The process involves filling a bathtub or a top-loading washer with hot water and then adding in the Borax, washing soda, and powdered detergent mixture. Then you can add in your sheets, towels, or workout clothing and let everything soak for 4-6 hours. Lastly, wash and dry like normal.
For this laundry stripping recipe, you’ll need 1/4 cup Borax + 1/4 cup washing soda + 1/2 cup powdered detergent:
- Borax is a popular laundry booster for lifting acidic stains, making fabrics whiter, and dissolves great for this soaking technique.
- Washing soda or sodium carbonate is also great for soaking hard-to-remove stains due to its high alkalinity and helps to remove hard water build-up in the laundry. In case you have a hard time finding it, I found my Arm & Hammer washing soda at Walmart, and it seems readily available there.
- It’s recommended to pick a powdered laundry detergent as it will dissolve easier than a concentrated liquid one. I am using powdered Tide, and if you need an allergy-friendly option then consider Tide Free & Gentle (or your favorite brand) instead.
Hip Tip: Mixing hot water and a small amount of powdered laundry detergent is actually another popular hack for cleaning up carpet and upholstery stains. As always, you’ll want to test a small area first.
Laundry Stripping Recipe
PrintSupplies Needed
Directions
1
Place towels or clothing in a bathtub or top-loader washer and cover with HOT water.
2
Mix Borax, washing soda, and powdered detergent together. Sprinkle the mixture over the contents in the water.
3
Mix the apparel, bedding, and/or towels around in the laundry stripping solution and let soak for 4-6 hours, making sure to mix once every hour for as long as they soak. I actually used the end of a broomstick because my water was too hot to touch!
4
Drain the water and transfer the contents to the washer. Wash and dry laundry like normal, except now you don’t have to add more detergent.
5
Enjoy your soft and clean laundry!
Here are a few tips to consider when laundry stripping:
- This is a pretty powerful deep-cleaning method that shouldn’t be used on delicates or anything needed to be washed gently. Reserve this laundry stripping recipe for ultra-stinky gym clothes, sports shirts, towels, and sheets. Also, if you do this on colored items, keep like colors together to avoid bleeding. That said, depending on your tub, this solution could stain the surface. This treat is better reserved for whites and light colors.
- Reserve this method of stripping laundry every few months so it won’t damage your fabrics. This isn’t meant as an everyday laundry routine. Also, keep in mind that I have affordable white towels from Costco, so if you have some expensive fancy ones, proceed at your own risk.
- I used this method to detox clothes and strip my husband’s often stinky white undershirts with success. They aren’t perfectly white, but do smell and feel clean now!
- You don’t have to use a bathtub! I used mine because I don’t have a top-loading washing machine. You could also use a large bucket or put this laundry stripping recipe in a sink using the same ratio but smaller amounts of the recommended cleaning powders.
Now I’m searching for more things to wash with this laundry method!
This laundry stripping recipe is also helpful for tackling funky-smelling sports gear. My sister-in-law told me she used this same method in the sink to soak some of her husband’s hats that had a funky smell, which I think sounds smart, too!
Share with us in the comments if you’ve tried this laundry stripping recipe!
Thank you for the reminder about laundry stripping. I bought the Borax and washing soda but have yet to do this! I bought an oar to use to stir it all (it collapses down to store, so cool!) and have a a few tall large plastic containers (like tall wastebaskets but heavy-duty) to place in the bathtub, saving on water and so I don’t have to bend so far down. I’ve thought a lot about how to make it easier so just have to do it! I have a lot of white and cream-colored items I want sparkling clean and fresh!
You’re so welcome, Deb! 💗 Sounds like you’re prepped and ready to go—love the idea of using a collapsible oar and tall containers to make it easier on your back! 🙌
Yes thank you for the reminder and directions.
I did the same thing. I bought the supplies, but I neglected to actually use them.
Do you ever rinse the water and re-introduce more hot water? Or is just the initial hot water, and let it turn cold? I am assuming it would only stay hot for the first hour or so, and then the clothes would be in cold water for the duration
Hey Tammi! We recommend just leaving it to soak. ❤️
Yes thank you for the reminder and directions.
I did the same thing. I bought the supplies, but I neglected to actually use them.
You’re welcome, Jennifer! 🤗