Laundry Stripping Guide: How to Strip Wash Correctly

Here’s how and when to strip wash dingy textiles the right way.

Katie Holdefehr is the associate editorial director at Real Simple.

Emily Peterson is an experienced fact-checker and editor with Bachelor's degrees in English Literature and French.

You may have noticed certain unsightly things around your house—like how dingy your bath towels have become or the fact that your bedsheets aren't as fresh and crisp as they used to be. Even when washed regularly with detergent, these linens never seem to get fully clean. Because of this, there has been a huge interest in laundry stripping, also known as strip washing.

Some bloggers and Redditors swear by strip washing, even posting images of how their supposedly "clean" sheets turned clear water murky brown once all of the soap scum and oil was removed. Basically, strip washing your laundry falls under the "grossly satisfying" category of cleaning tasks. So, should you try it? Might you actually be soaking your clothes for too long if you do? Here are some expert insights, adjustments you can make to your laundry routine instead, and a step-by-step guide.

Essentially, laundry stripping is a method of washing that removes detergent residue, fabric softener, minerals from hard water, and body oils that have collected on your laundry over time. By soaking garments and linens in hot water with an at-home borax solution, the fabric is stripped of any residue.

Many cleaning bloggers have started strip washing because they use homemade laundry soap. Mixing up your own laundry detergent can help you avoid chemicals and plastic packaging and save you money. It's also great to do on secondhand textiles, especially blankets and quilts. On the flip side, these formulas often don't wash off of fabric as well as store-bought detergents. Using DIY laundry soap will cause materials, like a cotton towel, to feel dingier over time, making them a prime candidate for a strip wash.

If you're feeling like your laundry needs to be strip washed because of buildup, try modifying your laundry routine first. If certain fabrics still feel dirty after a wash:

It sounds counterintuitive, but more detergent does not make your laundry cleaner. In fact, soap residue that doesn't wash away will collect dust and dirt. Laundry stripping is an easy but time-consuming and sometimes abrasive task, so try these methods first to avoid the process.

What You'll Need:

Gather some just-washed laundry, either wet or dry. You can strip wash the laundry either in a clean bathtub, a large bucket, or a top-loading washing machine.

Start by filling the tub with very hot water. Then, add a mixture of borax, washing soda, and laundry detergent, following a 1 to 1 to 2 ratio, adjusting the amounts based on how much water you're using. For a tub full, try about 1/4 cup borax, 1/4 cup washing soda, and 1/2 cup detergent.

Once the mixture has dissolved, add your laundry. Let the fabric soak until the water has cooled, about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. (This is the fun part where you'll see the dirt and residue come off into the water.)

Wring out the fabric as much as possible, then follow up by washing the items once more in the washing machine on a water-only cycle. Ta-da! Enjoy your ultra-clean bed sheets and bath towels.

Those who strip wash their clothing often warn that the process can cause dyes to run. Fabric that isn't colorfast is more likely to bleed the longer you soak it. For that reason, you might want to use strip washing for white bath towels and bed sheets only.

If you do try the method on colorful clothing, avoid mixing a red shirt with white socks—or else you could end up with accidentally dyed socks. Also, make sure you don't soak the clothing for too long, and check the clothing every hour for signs of the dye bleeding.

Don't try this technique on delicate or fragile items. This method requires hot water, so check each item's care label first to make sure it's not dry clean only.

While it does take some extra effort, laundry stripping actually works. That is because the chemical solution of Borax, powdered detergent, washing soda, and hot water works to break down buildup.

Pillows with synthetic polyester and cotton filling can be stripped like clothes to remove heavy build-up. You cannot strip feather or memory foam pillows. You can strip your polyester or cotton-filled pillows in the same way you would strip another laundry: Soaking them in hot water with a powdered detergent, washing soda, and Borax solution. Place the pillows in the drier on the lowest setting to dry them, then fluff to redistribute the filling.

Laundry stripping does not remove stains. The purpose of stripping is to remove oils, detergents, minerals, and softeners that build up over time. Use a separate stain fighter as part of your regular laundry routine when needed to remove stains.

Laundry stripping removes the build-up responsible for the musty or dirty smell that clings to some fabrics, even after washing. This is because regular washing does not break down the build-up of sweat, oils, and laundry detergent that washing machines can leave behind.

Technically, yes, you can. You just need to make sure your machine has a "soak" function and that you pick the hottest water setting.