4/19/2023 0 Comments Laundry stripping![]() ![]() They also suggest using a long hot water soak in your washing machine with traditional detergent, followed by a rinse cycle before attempting the full laundry stripping process. Maytag advises against using your washing machine for laundry stripping. "High quality detergents like Tide contain chelants to help bind hard water metals, preventing the types of residues that are caused by hard water buildup." How to Strip Your Laundry "When hard water metals and body soils mix together, they can create fatty acid salts (like "soap scum") that can build up on clothes, creating tough odors or extra residues, especially if you're using a bargain detergent," Wang says. Hard water is present in a majority of home plumbing systems in the U.S. ![]() How can you tell if your laundry needs stripping?įabrics feeling sticky, or losing their softness or having distinct smells may be signs that they could use an extra deep clean because of hard water presence, Wang says. Laundry stripping is most effective on light-colored towels and sheets because their size and bulk leads to more build up overtime, especially if they're not fully rinsed out in the washing machine, according to Maytag. "Laundry stripping also typically uses borax, which creates an alkaline condition, which can also further weaken natural fibers like cotton." What items are safe to laundry strip? "We do not recommend doing laundry stripping frequently as it can prematurely age and damage clothes," Wang says. ![]() ![]() Getty Images Does stripping laundry work?Įh, it's not so clear cut. Wool has a protective oil on it called lanolin, which is removed by the laundry stripping process, and would result in the fibers prematurely wearing down. Dark fabrics, workout clothes, and wool should also not be washed with this technique, according to the Maytag article.ĭark fabrics could potentially lose their coloring and leak dye into the water, while workout clothes, typically made of spandex, will not withstand the pH of the washing products used. Your detergent bottle will have specific washing instructions on the label.Īlways check your item's care tag for water temperature requirements before you use this method on your clothes. You usually only need a tablespoon of detergent, which fills a detergent cap to the first line, for a normal load of laundry. This build up can be avoided by using less detergent or fabric softener. Much of the debris that clouds the water in this technique is leftover detergent and fabric softener that build up in fabric fibers overtime, according to the article. Although it's a satisfying phenomenon to watch, the Maytag article warns that it's certainly not safe for all fabrics, and it's not necessary, if you wash your laundry correctly. Laundry stripping uses a combination of borax, powdered detergent, and washing soda, plus a hot water soak, as a chemical wash. So, what is stripping laundry, exactly? This aggressive cleaning method is meant to strip heavily used items of built-up soil, laundry detergent, and fabric softener from assumed "clean" laundry, according to an article that Maytag published on the topic. After pouring in several powdered cleaning products, the bathtub water slowly becomes a sludgy rainbow of gray, brown, and black, as the contents of the tub receive an extreme deep clean – it's both disgusting and oddly mesmerizing. If you've been on any social media platform recently, you may have come across a video showing a method of laundry deep cleaning called "laundry stripping." The videos typically show a person's bathtub filled with water and everything from towels and sheets to stuffed animals floating in it. ![]()
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