While you may be tempted to use liquid laundry detergent, Ek recommends sticking with powder because, since liquid detergents vary in concentration, it can be hard to determine whether you're getting the right ratios each time.
For optimal dirt and stain removal before laundry stripping, wash your sheets, towels and clothes in a liquid detergent designed to remove microscopic stains and dirt for a deep, hygienic clean like ARM & HAMMER™ Plus OxiClean™ Fresh Scent.
Fill a clean bathtub or large sink with the hottest water you can. Sprinkle in the borax, washing soda, baking soda and dish soap, then give it a mix with the wooden spoon. Add the clean laundry items you wish to strip to the water and make sure they're fully submerged. Soak the items for 4-6 hours or overnight.
Stains will not be removed: The main benefit of using detergents is their ability to target and remove stains. The chemicals in detergents interact with water to efficiently separate stains from the fibers of your clothes (2). Without detergent, stains will likely remain on your clothes.
Ingredients for Stripping Laundry
Borax. Arm and Hammer Laundry Booster Super Washing Soda (baking soda is fine if you absolutely cannot find it) Calgon (skip it or we order on Amazon.) Powdered Tide (not the gel)
EPA has classified 1,4-dioxane as a Group B2, probable human carcinogen.” 1,4-dioxane is commonly found in Tide and many other major brands of laundry detergent. This is true whether or not you see it listed as an ingredient.
Laundry stripping is only safe for sturdy white, off-white or colorfast fabrics. Over time, the water's heat during the stripping process can cause the dyes in colored fabrics to run, which partly explains why the water turns dark brown or gray in some of the online videos.
Liquid laundry detergent stains can show up if your detergent wasn't properly rinsed away. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to remove these types of stains. Start by soaking the stained garment in warm or hot water, depending on laundry care label instructions, then use an oxygen-based pretreatment.
Tips for Using Homemade Stain Removers
Substitute vinegar: If you don't have hydrogen peroxide, you can also mix vinegar with dish soap to treat most stains. Let the solution sit on the stain for five minutes. Then soak the item in cold water overnight for tough stains. Wash as usual the next day.
When stains happen, it's So Dawn Easy to pretreat them with the power of Dawn®. *For best results, use a little less than two teaspoons (9.5 mL) of Dawn® Platinum in a top-loading washing machine—be sure not to use too much, and don't use on delicate fabrics like silk.
Alternatives to laundry stripping exist and may be sufficient for regular maintenance. These include washing with vinegar, using less detergent, and employing proper drying techniques. For most people, these gentler methods can keep bedding clean and fresh without the need for stripping.
Powder and liquid detergents are both effective for laundry. While powder may provide lower cost per load and is packaged in recyclable cardboard, liquid detergent can be applied directly to clothes as a pretreatment for tough stains without having to mix with water.
If you choose to use vinegar for laundry stripping, don't use a powdered detergent in the mixture. Vinegar will negatively affect most detergents, because it will upset its pH balance. 2 Vinegar can be used at the end of the process in the rinse cycle for an extra boost of cleaning without any problems.
The recipe for laundry stripping only has three ingredients: borax, washing soda and powdered laundry detergent. These ingredients are used in a 1:1:2 ratio, so 1/4 cup of Borax, 1/4 cup of washing soda and 1/2 cup of laundry detergent.
Borax Substitute is sodium sesquicarbonate - a mineral compound, with similar pH to borax, making it ideal for cleaning and laundry. It is gentler than Soda Crystals yet stronger than Bicarbonate of Soda.
It's recommended to avoid stripping dark-colored fabrics, wool or anything you can only wash in cold water. Additionally, delicate laundry items such as lace, linen, silk or spandex should not be stripped as this is too harsh of a cleaning process.
Our favorite liquid laundry detergent lifts away grease stains when used as a pretreater or soak, but you might need to use a separate stain remover for other, stubborn stains.
White vinegar
This is great for a wide range of stains, including blood, sweat, and any general yellow marks on white clothes. Try gently rubbing the vinegar onto the stain before putting it straight in the wash. White vinegar can also be mixed with baking soda.
In addition to trapping dirt and building up over time, using too much laundry detergent can cause numerous problems for your clothes. As detergent builds up, it can leave behind an invisible layer of film that can trap dirt and hard water minerals, giving clothes a dingy or faded appearance.
Detergent stains occur on clothes when laundry detergent doesn't dissolve properly or isn't evenly distributed in the washing machine. The excess detergent gets trapped in the fabric during the wash cycle and appears as bluish, grayish, or white residues after drying.
Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover
We found that Tide pens work best on grass, syrup, and ink marker stains. While the wine stain was significantly lightened, it still needed more treatment. I'm personally notorious for spilling sauce on my top whenever I'm out dining, so I can also vouch for this stain remover.
As a rule of thumb, the ratio for your strip laundry recipe should be 2 parts TIDE POWDER DETERGENT, 1 part baking soda, and 1 part Borax. For most standard bathtubs, you can use ¼ cup of baking soda, ½ cup of Tide Ultra , and ¼ cup Borax.
To strip your clothing without borax, use laundry detergent as a substitute. Here's how: Add a heavy-duty laundry detergent to the hot water. The amount of detergent you need will depend on the volume of water and the quantity of clothing being stripped.
Borax is often confused with other cleaning agents, but it stands out due to its ability to soften water, neutralize odors, and enhance the cleaning power of regular laundry detergents. The combination of these properties makes borax a go-to solution for many households looking to elevate their laundry game.