#BAKING SODA LAUNDRY STRIPPING HOW TO#

All of my towels were clean and dry when I started, but being dry isn’t necessary. Wash the towels you plan to strip wash before you begin.3 Tablespoons Calgon Liquid Water Softener.3 Tablespoons Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda).Strip Wash Recipeīorax & Washing Soda Combo 20-Mule Team Borax GroVia is designed for cleaning mineral deposits from cloth diapers, but others have used it successfully for other laundry items as well. RLR Laundry Treatment and GroVia Mighty Bubbles are other great options if you want the convenience of a one-product dump and go. If you are having a hard time tracking them down as sometimes happens, you can find them on Amazon. You can get all these ingredients at Walmart or your grocery store. I also had all the ingredients on hand, so I figured I’d use them up. I used this mineral removing DIY mix to remove the mineral build-up caused by my hard water. I also had some super grimy hand towels that just wouldn’t come clean. My hope was that, at minimum, the strip wash would help soften the bath towels back up again. That said, I was not expecting to have overly impressive results with this strip wash, but I gave it a go anyway. I have already tried vinegar, baking soda, and borax, among other things, to get rid of the mildew smell in my towels. If you have super hard water as I do, then you have even more potential for that disgusting mildew smell in your towels. Bath towels can get especially icky from soap residue from washing as well as from the oils on our bodies. I decided to take on my smelly towels first. The process can be harsh on fabrics, so be careful not to overdo it. It’s important to note that while strip washing is great for that oh so gratifying deep clean to get what some say is a “blank slate” or “fresh start” that you do not strip your laundry too often.

Then it might be time for a stripping and deep clean. Towels are coming out of the dryer still stinky and smelly. No matter what you do or how many times you wash, your laundry still doesn’t smell clean and fresh as it should.

If your clothing is looking dirty and grimy even after washing, then your regular washing routine may not be enough to tackle it, and an occasional strip washing may be necessary. Laborers and folks that work outdoors may have clothes with built-up dirt or grease (depending on the profession) that may require stripping for a deep clean. However, a strip wash may not be necessary if you received the item used from someone you know. If you got clothes or linens that were previously owned from a thrift store or other secondhand shop, then it would be a good idea to do a strip and sanitize wash since you can’t be sure of the washing care that item received in its past life. Human grossness – sweat, oils, bacteria, and other body secretions…eww Second-Hand or Thrifted Items Personal products – deodorant, perfume/cologne, lotions, body butter, oils, creams, hair products, etc. Hard water – minerals in hard water build-up in fabrics over time.ĭetergent residue – detergent not being thoroughly rinsed from the fabric during washing.įabric softener – liquid fabric softener coats fibers to soften them, often leading to loss of absorption and odor in fabric. There are a variety of things that can cause build-up and residue in your clothes and linens. When You Need a Strip Wash Build-up of Soap and Oil Residue This deep cleaning method is useful if your laundry isn’t smelling fresh, or you are having problems with dingy or dirty looking laundry. Stripping your laundry is a way to break down the build-up caused by mineral deposits, laundry detergent, fabric softener, body oils, bacteria, and other gross things you don’t want lurking about. I decided to give this stripping your laundry thing a try with my smelly towels and bedsheets and share the results with you here.

#BAKING SODA LAUNDRY STRIPPING HOW TO#

So I took a cruise around Pinterest to see if anyone was stripping other things besides diapers, and sure enough, I found plenty of people telling how to strip clothes, bedsheets, stinky towels, workout clothes, and underwear – there’s some really gross stuff about laundering underwear by the way… I never had issues with my cloth diapers, so I have never done a stripping, but it got me to thinking about the rest of my laundry and if stripping could work for other stuff too. Years ago, when my kids were babies, we dabbled a bit with cloth diapering and I remembered the recommendations on the various cloth diapering forums to do a stripping if you had stink problems. I needed to figure out how to get all of my laundry to smell good again. My towels had a mildew smell, my bedsheets wouldn’t smell fresh even after washing, my kids’ play clothes had funky smells, and our dogs’ bedding reeked after washing too. I recently started noticing problems with my laundry not getting as clean as I would prefer.

Baking soda laundry stripping