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I Tried Laundry Stripping & Here Is What Happened

Monday, May 11, 2020

You wouldn't believe how excited I was to write this post! It seems like while everyone has been stuck at home more, cleaning and cooking trends have gone viral. One of those viral cleaning hacks I've seen over and over again in the past few weeks is laundry stripping. I had never heard of laundry stripping before, but the before and after photos pulled me in right away!

How To: Laundry Stripping

In a nutshell, laundry stripping is a way to revitalize clothes or linens. You fill your tub with hot water about 1/3 of the way full, add 1/4 cup washing soda, a 1/4 cup borax, and 1 scoop of powdered Tide. You soak the clothing for 4-6 hours, stirring about every hour, and then you send it through the wash like normal. Your tub will have the evidence of what was stripped out of your fabric. It's astonishing.

We have some white towels in our master bathroom that aren't that old, but have definitely lost their luster. I've tried washing them with vinegar, which did help a little but not much. So I thought these towels would be the perfect thing to try to strip.



Here's how they looked after an hour:


After the first hour was up, I saw so much film and scum in the water. The color had changed to a dull gray, instead of the clear we started with. Surprisingly the water was still warm. At first, I used a wooden spoon to stir, but it ended up being easier to just use my hand. After that, I set a timer and continued to stir every hour. You can let it sit for 6 hours, but by hour 4 the color had not changed much and I decided that was a good place to stop.

It's quite a workout to wring out the towels! I suggest using a plastic laundry basket, and asking for help getting these to the washer. Another suggestion is to put them through a spin cycle, and then wash like normal. 

Are you ready to see the after shot?!  Just a reminder, these were CLEAN towels.


I put the wooden spoon at the bottom of the tub so you can see how opaque the water is.




The Final Verdict: This was definitely worth doing. The towels did not look 100% brand new, but they did look significantly whiter and felt fluffier. I ended up putting them through the wash a second time just to make sure all of the soap was out. Before they were stripped the towels had a yellow tint to them, and that was completely gone. And they smelled fantastic! 

The before and afters I'm seeing online are so crazy! Especially work out gear. I'd like to do this again with Blake's undershirts. 
Leave a comment below and tell me if you've done this! Have you seen before and afters online? Let me know what I should try to strip next!
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Hello!

Hi friends! I'm Kristen, and this is the Life and Style of an early 30's Floridian living the Best Life Ever, with her husband and three pugs. Runner | Avid Reader | Small Shop Owner

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