A hot-water soak that removes detergent buildup, body oils, and hard-water minerals from fabric. This is the fix for stiff bath towels, musty sheets, and washcloths that don’t absorb anymore!

Cream and beige linens soaking in cloudy water during a laundry stripping soak.

What You’ll Need

¼ cup Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
¼ cup Borax
½ cup powdered laundry detergent
Hot water
Freshly-washed linens. Wash and dry them before they go in the tub. You want as much lint out as possible before stripping.

Boxes of Borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda beside a Ball jar of powdered detergent in a galvanized tub.

Tools You’ll Need

Bathtub or a washing machine with a deep-soak mode. Either works! Fill it with hot water and soak. The tub just gives you more room to stir.
Large pot. I heat extra water on the stove (hot, not boiling!) and add it once the tub is full. It boosts the temperature and dissolves the powders.

Instructions

Fill the tub with hot water

Fill your bathtub about halfway with the hottest water your tap will give you. Before I even start running the tub, I set a large pot of water on the stove and bring it to a nice, hot simmer (not boiling!) then dump it in once the tub is full. That extra boost of heat helps the powders dissolve and do their job.

Stainless steel pot pouring hot water into a tub for laundry stripping.

Don’t skip the stove pot if your tap water runs lukewarm. This whole thing only works with hot water, so if it’s just lukewarm, it won’t do much.

Dissolve the powders

Add the washing soda, the Borax, and a half cup of your favorite powdered laundry detergent to the hot water. Homemade detergent works, and so does something store-bought like Gain…. whatever you already have.

Powder being poured from a metal measuring cup into a bathtub then stirred with a white spoon.

Stir it all with a large spoon or a stick until the powders are fully dissolved. This is a spot people rush through. If you can still feel grit against the bottom of the tub, keep stirring.

Add your freshly washed linens

Here’s the part that sounds backward: your linens should already be washed and dried before they go in. I wash and dry mine first to remove as much lint as possible before stripping, so you’re soaking out residue rather than fuzz.

Hand submerging freshly washed beige linens into a tub of water, then stirring with a white scoop.

Push the linens down into the water until everything is submerged.

Let everything soak

Let the linens soak for up to six hours, stirring them every so often as you walk by. The water will cool to room temperature as it sits, and that’s completely fine.

Beige and cream linens submerged and soaking in cloudy tan water inside a white tub.

Warning: The water will look GROSS. That’s years of detergent buildup and body oils leaving your “clean” towels, and yes, it’s a little horrifying.

Drain and squeeze, don’t rinse

Once the soak is done, drain the tub and squeeze as much water as possible from the linens. It’s a workout, but wringing them well now means less sopping mess on the way to the washer.

Hands wringing liquid from a damp cream-colored cloth bundle over a sink.

Do not rinse them in the tub. The washing machine handles that part next.

Run a plain wash cycle and dry

Load the linens into your washing machine and run a regular cycle with no detergent. I know an empty detergent cup feels wrong, but the machine is just rinsing out everything the soak loosened up.

Galvanized tub of damp linens on a washer beside a woman clipping laundry to an outdoor clothesline.

Then dry as usual. I love to line-dry my linens after this.

Questions and Troubleshooting

How often should I strip my laundry?

Every 3–6 months is plenty for most households. Do towels and bedding more often if they’re not soaking up water anymore or they smell bad right out of the wash.

Can I strip anything, or just towels and sheets?

Stick to sturdy cotton… towels, washcloths, sheets, durable clothing. Skip wool, silk, lace, rayon, and anything with a gentle-wash label or special finish.

Why don’t I rinse after soaking?

The detergent-free machine wash is your rinse. Squeeze out the water, dump everything in, and let the machine do the work.

Can I skip the tub and strip right in my washing machine?

Yes, if your machine has a deep soak mode. Fill it with hot water, add the powders, mix, add your laundry, and soak for about six hours. Then drain and run a regular cycle without detergent.

Laundry Stripping

Katie Shaw

Deep clean towels and linens with a hot-water soak of washing soda, Borax, and powdered detergent to remove detergent buildup, body oils, and hard-water minerals.

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Equipment

Bathtub
Large pot
Large spoon or stick for stirring
Washing machine

Supplies Needed

¼ cup Super Washing Soda
¼ cup Borax
½ cup powdered laundry detergent homemade or store-bought
hot water
freshly-washed linens

Instructions

Fill the tub. Fill the tub about halfway with hot water. While it fills, heat a large pot of water on the stove until hot but not boiling, then pour it in to boost the temperature and help dissolve the powders.
Add the powders. Add the washing soda, the Borax, and the powdered laundry detergent to the hot water.
Stir to dissolve. Use a large spoon to mix and dissolve the powders into the water.
Add the linens. Add freshly washed and dried linens to the hot water solution; washing and drying first removes as much lint as possible before stripping.
Soak the linens. Let the linens soak for up to six hours, stirring occasionally. The water will cool to room temperature, and that’s fine.
Drain and squeeze. Drain the tub and squeeze out as much water from the soaked linens as possible — do not rinse.
Wash without detergent. Add the linens to the washing machine and run a regular load without adding detergent.
Dry as usual. Machine dry or line dry the linens as you normally would.

Notes

Laundry stripping is best for durable fabrics like cotton towels, sheets, and sturdy cotton clothing. Skip delicate fabrics such as wool, silk, lace, and rayon. No tub? If your washing machine has a deep soak mode, fill it with hot water, add and mix the powders, soak the laundry for about six hours, drain, then run a regular cycle without extra detergent. For most households, stripping every 3–6 months is plenty.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

How to Strip Laundry

What You’ll Need

Tools You’ll Need