Depending on how often you do your laundry.
Social media is a never-ending source of strangely gratifying videos. If you wish, you can spend hours on end watching individuals crush sand, chop soap, and mumble into a microphone. Cleaning videos are our favourite kind to watch people share their house undertakings while organizing a disorganized closet, degreasing a bathtub, and polishing pots and pans. Laundry stripping remains one of the most memorable viral videos of 2020. Just as many people had time at home to give the revolting-yet-awesome trend a try, it went viral on the internet.
Not only is the strip washing cleaning process immensely pleasurable to see, but it also seems to be very practical. In the first TikTok videos, people would fill their bathtubs with hot water, add a cleaning solution (usually borax and washing powder), and let everything soak for a few hours—towels, sheets, clothes from charity stores, you name it. A view of a tub full of murky brown or grey water that was brimming with sludge and filth that had leaked through the fabric is then cut to. And that’s it. That is the TikTok. The films say your laundry will be cleaner than ever after you strip it.
What Is Laundry Stripping Exactly?
The process of eliminating buildup—that is, residue from fabric softeners and detergents, minerals from hard water, oil, grime, and bacteria, among other gross things—from your textiles is known as laundry stripping. The theory is that washing your towels in the washing machine is insufficient. “Removing stains from towels helps them to become more absorbent again,” explains Ketan Khanna, CEO of Kepsten cleaning services, a nationwide house cleaning business. “In the end, you’ll find the towels return to a fluffier fabric.”
Why Do I Need to Take Off My Clothes?
The majority of folks don’t require laundry stripping. If you use dryer sheets or fabric softener, make your own soap, or have hard water, you may want to think about laundry stripping as these methods can all cause residue to accumulate in textiles. Remaining grime and body oils are the problem with homemade soap. “Handmade soap doesn’t always wash your clothes and linens as well as store-bought detergent, even though it doesn’t contain chemicals and is frequently more affordable.” The issue is buildup with fabric softener liquid and sheets.
“Fabric softener and dryer sheets are great items to use to make our towels and clothes smell amazing, however they do leave a small layer of film that is nearly invisible,” Towels and linens treated with that film may become less absorbent, smell musty, and seem dingy. Similar effects may result from mineral deposits left behind by hard water.
Can I Strip Wash Anything Else?
Not only do heavy-duty towels, linens, and bathrobes require laundry stripping. You can remove stains from a wide variety of textiles, including clothes. A user on TikTok even stripped off her bridal gown! Just be cautious because clothing is frequently more sensitive than other materials. Strip washing delicate materials, like as silk, is not recommended. “Cotton fabrics will need to be stripped more often than synthetic ones, as synthetic fabrics tend to wick away odour and moisture more effectively,” “Take the material’s density and fibre length into account when choosing what to strip and how often. Long fibres and dense fabric make towels prone to odour trapping, which over time leads to an accumulation of bacteria.”
How Can My Laundry Be Stripped?
It just takes time, and it’s easy. What you’ll need is as follows:
- Clean” laundry is defined as recently laundered clothes, whether wet or dry.
- ¼ cup borax and ¼ cup sodium carbonate, or washing soda
- A quarter cup of laundry detergent
Step 1: Run hot water into your bathtub. Stir to dissolve after adding the laundry detergent, borax, and washing soda. (It’s not as easy to do this in a huge utility sink or bucket. Use a 1:1:2 ratio of borax, washing soda, and laundry detergent to achieve that.)
Step 2: Fully immerse your linens, towels, or clothes in the concoction and leave them to soak for four to five hours, stirring now and then, until the water has cooled.
Step 3: Run your goods through a rinse-only cycle in the laundry after draining the unclean water, which will turn your clothes a pleasing but scary murky grey colour. Lastly, tumble dry them (obviously without using dryer sheets) and presto! Your laundry has never been cleaner.
How to Use a Washing Machine for Strip Washing
Laundry stripping in a washing machine is far more convenient than doing it in a tub or basin because there is no need to hoist sopping wet laundry. However, you won’t be able to see the unclean water. Select the hot water setting, the rinse-and-spin cycle, and the soak option if your front load washer has one. Select the hot water temperature and, if available, the deep-fill option in your top-load washer before strip washing your clothes on a soak-and-spin cycle.
Does Laundry Stripping Really Needed?
No, it’s not. Laundry stripping isn’t necessary, even though it can be entertaining to watch and possibly useful for extremely dirty or old towels, sheets, and thrift store finds you want to be sure are extra clean. This is especially true if you use the recommended amount of laundry detergent, don’t overload your washing machine, and clean your washer on a regular basis. Indeed, it may make standard clothing wear out more quickly than it would otherwise. Typically, laundry stripping is a one-time task. It’s uncommon that you’ll need to strip anything more than once as long as you continue to practice good laundry hygiene.
