What Is Laundry Stripping? – And How To Do It

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Laundry stripping is an old (but recently viral) method of washing that removes odors and buildup of detergents, minerals, body oils, and fabric softeners. I gave the viral trend a try, and here is what happened. Learn how to strip your laundry and whether or not it’s really worth your time.

About a year ago, I decided to go almost (but not quite) paper towel-free in my home. I stocked up on kitchen towels for dishes and microfiber towels for cleaning. And I’ve been close to 99% free of paper towel use in my kitchen!

But using towels day in and day out comes with a cost: stink. I recently noticed that the moment my towels had even the slightest touch of dampness, they smelled really badly.

Recently though, I saw an Instagram reel that showed how to strip your towels. And though I was skeptical, I decided to give it a try.

I experimented with my kitchen towels to see what worked and what didn’t. For this blog, I gave it a try with my bath towels.

What is laundry stripping?

Laundry stripping is a method of washing that removes build-up of excess detergent, fabric softener, minerals, and body oil that have accumulated on your laundry over time.

Clothes or towels are soaked in hot water and a homemade solution of washing soda, Borax, and powered laundry detergent. As the clothes soak for a few hours, the build-up and residue are stripped from the laundry.

Watch how to strip laundry

What causes laundry to have buildup & odors?

Because we wash our laundry regularly, one would suspect that it is dirt and grime that cause laundry to stink. But it may come as a surprise that in most circumstances, buildup and odors comes from standard laundry products and habits, such as:

Detergent & Fabric Softener

• Too much detergent. It seems contrary, but using too much detergent actually causes buildup on your laundry. Over time, too much detergent can create a film that is a haven for dirt and hard minerals. Not only can this make your laundry smell, it can also make it dingy.
• Homemade laundry detergent. I used to wash my clothes exclusively in homemade detergent. But in time, they ended up smelling really badly. That’s because, unlike commercial detergents, homemade laundry soap lacks the enzymes needed to cut grime.
• Fabric softener. Similar to detergent, fabric softener creates buildup on your laundry. Fabric softener residue is waxy and can cause your fabrics to be less absorbent. That waxiness can also harbor minerals and other accumulations that create unpleasant odors.

Water Temperature & Quality

• Cold water wash. Washing in cold water is good for the environment and your wallet. Unfortunately, residues tend to harden in cold water, making them difficult to wash away. So if you are like me and wash your laundry in cold water 100% of the time, that could explain why your laundry has buildup or odor.
• Hard water. This is one of the main laundry issues here in coastal North Carolina, where I live. Hard water leads to an accumulation of minerals that can make your towels feel, look, and smell less than fresh.

Dirty Conditions

• Not washing enough. If you wait too long between washings, your natural body oils and products (lotions, perfumes, hair product, etc.) can create buildup on your clothes, towels, and sheets.
• Not cleaning your washer. Washing machines–especially front loaders–are notorious for harboring buildup and mold that can transfer to your clothes.

FAQs

Does laundry stripping remove stains?

No, laundry stripping does not remove stains. Instead, it is used to remove residue and odor from fabrics.

How often should you strip your laundry?

When stripping laundry, the fabrics are soaked in very hot water and a strong cleaning solution for about 4-5 hours. As such, I wouldn’t recommend stripping your laundry regularly. A good rule of thumb and way to remember is, if needed, strip your laundry at the start of each season.

Can you strip any fabric?

No, I do not recommend stripping all fabrics. Much of the “dirty water” seen in photos and on social media (even mine) is part grime and part dye. The cleaning solution can strip the dye out of your fabrics. With that in mind, I would not strip anything delicate or sentimental. Additionally, dark fabrics can not only fade, but they could bleed onto lighter colored items.

Can you strip lights and darks together?

No, separate out your lights and darks. Because the cleaning solution can potentially strip dye, there is a risk that it could discolor your light-colored laundry.

Laundry Stripping Recipe

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• 1/4 cup of Super Washing Soda – This is not be confused with baking soda. Washing soda is similar to baking soda, but it is chemically different. It’s a more powerful cleaner that is often used in cleaning solutions for mineral buildup. It works by softening the water so that the detergent can clean the fabric. Locally, I was only able to find washing soda at Lowes Home Improvement. But it is widely available online.
• 1/4 cup of Borax – Borax is often used as a cleaner and laundry booster. Borax neutralizes the water and softens hard minerals so detergent is more effective. Generally, it is easy to find in most cleaning aisles, and it is readily available online.
• 1/2 cup of powered laundry detergent – Liquid detergents vary in concentration, so it can be hard to determine if you are using the correct amount when stripping your laundry. As such, use a powdered detergent for your laundry stripping recipe.
• Hot water – You will need to fill a standard bathtub with hot water (or top-loading washer or bucket) about halfway or enough to fully submerge your laundry. I filled my soaking tub about 1/4 of the way.

Note: the recipe is a 1:1:2 ratio. So if your basin is larger or smaller, you can adjust the water and recipe ratio as necessary.

Tools You’ll Need

• A bathtub, large basin, or top-load washer – I used my bathtub for stripping my kitchen and bath towels. But any large basin will do as long as it can hold a lot of hot water and your laundry.
• Color-separated laundry – Make sure you separate lights and darks. Also, I don’t recommend stripping any fabrics that are delicate or sentimental.
• Large spoon – You will want to swish the solution around in the water. And about every hour, you will need to agitate the clothes. Rather than putting your hand in the cleaning solution, I recommend using a large spoon.

Laundry Stripping – How To Do It

Prepare the laundry

Gather the clean laundry that you want to strip. It can be either wet or dry, but it should be clean. Prior to strip-washing, I washed my towels on my washer’s sanitize function with extra hot water. I recommend washing your laundry first in the hottest water your fabrics can tolerate.

Make the cleaning solution

Fill a bathtub, top-loading washing machine, or large bucket with HOT water.

Pour 1/4 cup of washing soda, 1/4 cup of Borax, and 1/2 cup of powdered detergent into the hot water. The recipe is a 1:1:2 ratio, so you can adjust the measurements if you have a smaller or larger basin. For a regular-sized bathtub filled 1/2 way, the measurements listed in this recipe are appropriate.

Add the laundry & soak

Use a large spoon to swish the water around (the cleaning solution can be harsh on your skin). Once the ingredients have dissolved, toss in your laundry.

Allow the laundry to soak for about 4-5 hours, until the water has cooled to room temperature. About once an hour or so, use the spoon the agitate the laundry.

Remove the laundry after 4-5 hours

Enjoy the extreme satisfaction from seeing the water turn into a murky mess.

Drain the tub, and wring out the fabrics. Try to get out as much water as you can.

Wash & dry

Wash your laundry without detergent in the washing machine (hot water is preferable). Dry as usual.

Snuggle up with your fresh duds!

My laundry stripping results

Does laundry stripping work? Yes, but…

I tried stripping my kitchen and bath towels, and I can confidently say they smell, look, and feel better. In fact, I haven’t noticed any odor on them at all since strip-washing them.

But I will caution that some of the images and videos of laundry stripping might be misleading. The cleaning solution can potentially pull the dye out of fabrics. So while, yes, there might be dirt and grime in the water, it may also be dye.

This isn’t to say that laundry stripping doesn’t work. But it is possible that some of the discolored water is simply dye. As such, I wouldn’t recommend stripping your laundry regularly or stripping any garment or items that are delicate or sentimental.

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