5 Laundry Stripping Tips

1. Fill ⅔rds of a large tub with warm water.
2. Add ½ cup of Borax for every gallon of water and allow to completely dissolve in the water.
3. Add ½ cup of washing soda for every gallon of water.
4. Add ¾ cup of laundry detergent for every gallon of water.
5. Add your laundry to the tub.
6. Allow laundry to soak for 5 - 6 hours, stirring every hour.
7. Remove laundry from the tub and add to a washing machine. Wash as usual.

From the makers of TMT Borax

From keeping your bed sheets soft to help eliminating odors from dingy towels, laundry stripping is a do-it-yourself technique that can help get your laundry cleaner than it has ever been.

Over time, items such as towels retain a buildup and residue with standard usage—not to mention a little smelly—no matter how many times you throw them in your washer. While most stains may be visibly removed from the material, other grime can live on unnoticed within the fibers. Even with frequent washing using high quality products, it can be difficult to get clothes stripped of residue. Enter laundry stripping.

With just four ingredients and one effective technique, you can create a safe soaking method that essentially helps “resets” your laundry . If you’ve never heard of Borax before laundry stripping, you might be surprised to learn that Borax (one of the main ingredients in this project) is a natural multi-purpose ingredient that can be used in a variety of DIY cleaning solutions!

Think of fabrics you are most frequently using and washing that likely get the most buildup. Bath towels are some of the most commonly used fabrics in our household that get the least replacement over time. Many of us have towels that we’ve used for years! Towels are the perfect laundry stripping test subjects because their thick fibers are dirt traps.

Another item we’d recommend laundry stripping are bedsheets. It’s no secret that bed sheets can have a ton of buildup because it’s the place we spend the majority of our time!

Laundry stripping works best on items that can withstand high temperatures, such as whites, lights, bath towels and bedsheets. You should also consider laundry stripping if you have hard water, or if you use fabric softener or dryer sheets—they all contribute to a buildup of residue in textiles.

Now, for the tips you’ve been waiting for. We’ve compiled our 5 favorite tips that will make your laundry stripping experience a success.

When pouring the ingredients in, a lot of us have a tendency to pour it in a straight line. Instead, for the best distribution, pour your ingredients around the entire area of your water and then mix.

Wearing gloves, like when mixing any cleaning solutions, will allow you to stir the clothes around more thoroughly without making direct contact with the product. While most say to use a broom handle, gloves will allow you to have a more hands-on approach. This is the secret to ensure the dirt really comes out of your materials. Turning your items inside-out halfway through, or stirring more thoroughly with your gloved hands helps release the dirt.

We strongly recommend you use warm water to help in this cleaning process. Leave a little space in your tub for a dash of warm water to be added halfway through the process. This will help continue to activate the cleaning process once it turns lukewarm.

There are plenty of sources that claim laundry stripping is only removing the dye from your clothes. Want to put laundry stripping to ultimate the test? Stripping your dingiest whites will be the proof that this activity truly is lifting dirt from your clothes. If you strip your colored clothes, follow care instructions on clothing tags.

When pouring the ingredients in, a lot of us have a tendency to pour it in a straight line. Instead, for the best distribution, pour your ingredients around the entire area of your water and then mix.