Doing laundry is kind of a necessity; love it or hate it, laundry is just part of life.

But anyone who’s wondered why their sheets don’t feel like they used to may want to know if their laundry is getting a thorough cleaning.

Getting your sheets back to their original softness may involve learning how to strip laundry. In this article, cleaning experts weigh in on how to get your sheets as clean as possible, disclosing some of their top laundry tips and tricks!

What Is Laundry Stripping?

Washing your clothes with detergent is meant to clean them, but the formulas, including fragrances and softening agents in many commercial detergents, create buildup, which can affect your laundry over time. Laundry stripping, though, is designed to remove the buildup, as well as tackle tough stains and brighten fabrics. According to Jessica Ek, a cleaning expert at American Cleaning Institute®, “Laundry stripping is done with powdered ingredients after traditional washing. It involves mixing borax, washing soda and powdered laundry detergent with hot water.”

To maximize impact, Ek recommends leaving the laundry in the stripping solution. “Let it soak and gently stir the laundry before draining the tub and rinsing the fabric,” she says. This allows for a deeper cleaning, which helps to strip the laundry of leftover detergent, hard water minerals, fabric softener and natural body oils, all of which build up over time on your laundry and may not be entirely removed by a regular wash cycle.

Most people find stripping to be most beneficial for laundry that is used on a daily basis and washed frequently, such as towels and bedding.

When To Strip Your Laundry

You do not need to strip your laundry very frequently, as this can start to break down the fabric. Instead, focus on doing this a couple of times a year when you start to notice a buildup on your laundry. For instance, you may want to strip your bedding if it looks discolored and has a slightly waxy feel to it.

“For the most part, you shouldn't need to engage in laundry stripping,” Ek says. “It isn't usually necessary if you're washing things properly on a regular basis, not overloading the washing machine, and using the correct amount of detergent. However, there are times when it can help. For instance, if you have hard water and want to refresh an item by removing a buildup of minerals.”

The Benefits of Stripping Your Bedding

There are many reasons why learning how to strip your bedding can be beneficial for your cleaning routine. These benefits include:

• Reducing odors: Laundry stripping can help remove odor-causing residue such as sweat, stains, deodorant and skin oils.
• Increasing softness: Stripping things like washcloths, towels and bedding can help remove residue that is coating the material fibers, taking away from their softness. This can also help to lengthen the lifespan of your bed sheets and pillowcases, keeping them in like-new condition.
• Treating stains: Depending on the type of stain, stripping fabric can help remove stains like dirt, oil and sweat. However, stripping won't usually treat permanent stains that have set.
• Reducing allergies: Allergens can attach to fabrics you spend a lot of time in contact with, such as bed sheets. ‘’Bedding is a common place for dust mites, which are one of the most common allergens. If you have pets, it can also be a place for pet hair to collect,” Ek says.
• Improving quality of sleep: Buildup can reduce the breathability of fabrics, so if you are a hot sleeper, stripping your bed sheets and pillowcases can help keep you cool throughout the night.
• Removing bacteria: Stripping can help sanitize your laundry by removing harmful bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus as well as odor-causing bacteria. You may be wondering, doesn’t washing clothes do this already? The answer is yes, it does, but some bacteria are harder to remove in the washing machine, which is where laundry stripping comes in handy.

Essential Supplies You'll Need To Strip Laundry

To correctly strip your laundry, you need to create a laundry stripping recipe with some essential supplies. The good news is that most of the supplies are things you either may already have in your house or can easily find at your local supermarket.

Tub

The primary tool you need to strip your laundry is a bathtub that you can fill with hot water. You may be able to use a large pot or bucket if you are only planning on stripping a few pieces. Sleep Expert® Jess Knowles recommends putting your pieces in a large plastic container in your bathtub instead of directly in the bathtub. “When washing bedding, I would not stick it directly in a tub. Instead, I would put it in a large plastic storage container inside the tub. This is better for the bedding since there is no existing soap scum and other debris on the hard surface,” Knowles says.

Borax

Borax is one of the top ingredients for laundry stripping. An alkaline mineral salt that helps fight acidic stains, borax is prevalent in laundry cleaning recipes and helps to fight odors, tough stains and residue buildup.

Washing Soda

The next top ingredient to strip your laundry is washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda), which is a potent cleaning agent. It is beneficial for tackling tough stains and binding to minerals in hard water.

Detergent

To improve the efficiency of your laundry stripping recipe, you need to add a mild detergent. You can use a powdered detergent or liquid detergent; the most important thing is to avoid detergents with strong fragrances or added colorants.

Laundry Stripping Recipe for Bedding and Sheets

A very basic laundry stripping recipe that is perfect for all kinds of laundry is:

• ¼ cup washing soda
• ¼ cup borax
• ½ cup mild detergent

If your bed sheets or pillowcases are 100% cotton, keep in mind that there may be some shrinking, as with any time you wash them. This has nothing to do with what you’re washing your bedding with, but rather, it’s because cotton is a fiber that loosens when wet and then contracts when heated.

How To Strip Wash Laundry

Although stripping laundry is a simple process, it's crucial that you follow the necessary steps to get the best results for the type of laundry you are stripping.

Prepare the Water

Get the water as hot as it will go before filling the bathtub 1/4 to 1/3 of the way full, depending on the amount of laundry you're stripping. Add in your stripping recipe and stir it around in the water until everything is dissolved.

For a smaller vessel than a bathtub, you should reduce the recipe to ⅓ or ½ the amount to avoid over-saturating the laundry.

Soak the Laundry

Next, add the pieces of laundry you wish to strip, taking time to make sure each piece of laundry is completely submerged without any dry spots. Allow the laundry to soak for 4 to 5 hours or until the water has cooled, stirring the laundry occasionally.

Rinse and Drain

When you believe your laundry has soaked for long enough, drain the bathtub and wring out excess water by hand. Add the laundry to your washing machine with a mild detergent and wash through a regular cycle with hot water. Run the load of laundry through an additional rinse cycle before drying it, using your preferred method to finish everything off.

If you are stripping fabrics at risk of shrinking, such as cotton or bamboo, you can rinse everything out in the tub several times instead of wringing them out before adding them to the washing machine. Rinsing is important, as it helps to fully remove any additional borax and washing soda from the laundry. Then, you can either skip the additional rinse cycle or wash the laundry with cold instead of hot water to reduce the shrinking effect.

To get the most out of laundry stripping, there are certain cleaning products you should avoid using for your laundry cycles. "Never use scent boosters or similar products,” says Shahalie Flesher from Diamond Maids, “as this reduces the length of time your washer works and adds wax to your clothing."

Things You Should Avoid Strip Washing

Not everything is ideal for laundry stripping due to the hot water and chemicals. 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. It is better to hand-wash delicate items in either cool or lukewarm water with a mild detergent. For example, if you have silk bed sheets or silk pillowcases, it is better to hand-wash these items with a mild detergent.

Tips for Laundry Stripping Your Bedding and Sheets

Laundry stripping is a great option for light-colored bedding that could use a refresh. If you have bedding and sheets that are different colors, be sure you separate darks and lights as it is not recommended to strip dark colored fabrics. It is also a good idea to pair similar types of fabrics together, such as natural and synthetic fabrics.

To get the most out of stripping bedding and sheets, you should also be cleaning them on a regular basis. "I recommend washing your bedding once a week, but you can get away with washing it once every two weeks," says cleaning expert Jessica Samson from The Maids.

Frequently Asked Questions About Stripping Laundry