This simple method of how to strip your laundry will literally change your life and rock your world! Powdered Tide, Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and Calgon for laundry stripping 101!
Ok. This is a super random but not so random non-food-related post. Laundry Stripping 101. All about how to strip your laundry - everything and anything you need to know about it.
If you follow me on Instagram then a couple of weeks ago, you saw me sitting in my bathroom, stirring a tub full of black absolutely filthy water with clothes in it.
You can watch my full story highlights on how to strip your laundry here!
Let's back up to give you the context.
I had seen someone I follow on Instagram "strip their laundry" on their stories. I thought she was crazy. I had never ever heard of this before. But I was intrigued so I watched everything.
She was stripping her running clothes, which I know she runs a lot, so I was even more intrigued. At the end of the 2-minute long story, I was running out to my car to go find everything I needed to start stripping everything in our home. #truth
You see, for the past 4 years, I have STRUGGLED to figure out how to get the horrid smell out of our workout clothes.
Our running pants, shorts, shirts, tanks, and sports bras get LOTS OF LOVE! Working in a gym and coaching track and field for the past 10 years, plus being an avid runner and lifter myself, I live in my workout clothes. It's what I wear 90% of the time.
There is also no one on this planet who sweats more than Justin Bilyeu, so his clothes get equally as much love.
I will also preface this by saying all of our workout gear is Lululemon. I use to work for them a couple of years ago (it was such a fun job, and I miss it sometimes), and I swear up and down by their products. They are in investment - trust me, I know. From someone who doesn't love to spend money on herself, take it from me: this is all I wear, and for good reason.
Since I do live in these clothes, pre-Lululemon I would have to replace pants, shorts, etc. on a yearly basis. I have my Fast & Free Tights which is the ONLY thing I will run in for 4 years and they still look brand new still.
That comes from not only the quality of their products but also I take such good care of them.
This goes for any workout gear you have. You should NEVER, I repeat NEVER, dry your Lululemon or any workout clothes you have. You are basically pouring money down the drain by doing that.
Always wash them
- on cold
- delicate cycle
- no fabric softener
- no drying
That is the key to washing and taking care of your workout clothes, Luluemon clothes, and how to get them to last for a very long time.
Now, back to the whole stripping-your-laundry deal.
Since you know understand how much our clothes get used, and worn, and how obsessive I am about taking care of them. For 5+ years now I have been in an ongoing battle to figure out how to get the nasty smell out of them.
After a while, you literally can't get the funk out of your gym clothes. If you know, you know. I have tried everything from
- hanging the worn clothes up to let the sweat completely dry before washing
- to hand washing
- to every single kind of laundry detergent, laundry beads, and everything in between
Nothing worked!
So without making the background of my never-ending laundry endeavor any longer - let's get back to how stripping your laundry will solve all your stinky laundry woes.
Also, I did not come up with this method. After seeing my friend do this and digging around, I found out that @gocleanco is the master genius behind this all. This is her recipe and instructions. I just followed to a T and give her all the glorious laundry credit. Bless you @gocleanco! Bless you! YOU MUST FOLLOW HER NOW!
Jump to:
- What Does Laundry Stripping Mean?
- Laundry Stripping 101: How Do You Strip Your Laundry?
- Reader Review
- How Do I Separate My Workout Clothes For Stripping?
- What Else Besides My Workout Clothes Did I Strip?
- Can I Strip Anything?
- Laundry Stripping Without Borax
- Can I Use Liquid Tide Instead of Powdered Tide?
- Where Did You Find All the Ingredients You Need To Strip Laundry?
- How Often Should I Strip My Laundry?
- How Do You Strip & Wash Bed Sheets?
- What If I am Allergic to Tide? What Else Can I Use?
What Does Laundry Stripping Mean?
Depending on where you live and how hard your water is, there is hard water buildup on your clothes over time. Who knew!
Also, there is soap build-up, and if you use fabric softener (which you shouldn't be on your workout clothes) that gets built up along with other random dirt and odors.
I honestly asked myself after all of this - what job does my washing machine actually do?!
Just kidding. But it doesn't make you wonder.
But over time, with wear and tear, these gross things get built upon our clothes making it hard to actually get them clean.
That actually makes sense.
This process of laundry stripping helps remove all that junk so that your clothes are actually clean.
What a concept!
Laundry Stripping 101: How Do You Strip Your Laundry?
How to Strip Your Laundry - Ingredients & Supplies Needed:
- ¼ Cup Borax
- ¼ Cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
- ¼ Cup Calgon
- 1 Heaping Scoop of Powdered Tide
All links above are Amazon affiliate links. These products can be found at Walmart or other stores for cheaper if need be.
Reader Review
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I tried this on all of my night gowns. I clean when I get up, and in my pj's because I don't want to get dirt, or bleach on my clothes. I wear a new gown each night, and I shower after cleaning, but they were a bit dingy, and a bit mildew type of smell. I was blown away by the water after just an hour, and again after 3 hours. I only used 2 scoops of arm and hammer super washing soda, and 2 scoops of oxiclean. Absolutely unbelievable.
- KATHY
Process of How to Strip Your Laundry:
- Fill your bathtub up with HOT HOT water. I like to run my facet for a couple of minutes to make sure it is super hot before shutting the drain.
- Dump your clean clothes inside. Yes clean. Grab them straight from the drawer and put them in the tub.
- Mix together the ingredients above and dump them into the tub filled with hot water and clothes.
- Using a sturdy spoon (a thick wooden spoon works but not on towels, think thick heavy-duty metal kitchen spoon) stir the clothes and laundry mixture together.
- Let soak for 4-6 hours, stirring every hour.
- After the time is up, wring each item out and place it in the washing machine. Run a load of laundry just like you normally would. ** Run a full cycle - not a quick wash AND you DO NOT have to add any SOAP since these have been sitting in the soap for hours.**
- Air dry as normal.
How Do I Separate My Workout Clothes For Stripping?
One of the biggest questions I got was how I separated everything when I did this and if anything bled.
The answer is both yes and no. This is how I did it.
- A load of all our running pants, shorts, & my tennis skirts.
- A load of my sports bras, our running tanks, and shirts.
- Separate small load in the sink of my white tops.
- Separate small loads in the sink of my Lulumeon tanks that are Nulu, Pima Cotton, or a soft fabric in pinks, reds, and purples.
Did my clothes bleed?
Our first 2 loads of pants, shorts, tanks, and shirts - NO.
These fabrics are all sweat-wicking (or the breathable slick material) and do not bleed. Our pants and shorts are mostly dark colors anyway - but not our tops. I did not have any problems with this but this fabric does not bleed.
However, my loads of pinks/reds/purples did. But they are a different, softer material. So I figured they would and that's why I did them in the sink.
My whites I wanted to do separately because they are whites. Honestly, I was skeptical this would work and I have the hardest time keeping my whites, specifically Lululemon whites, looking bright and not dingy.
I have 3 white love tees and 2 white swiftly that looked horrible. Yellow pits and dirt all over my long-sleeved thumbhole swiftly. And nothing I did would ever get the gray grime off of it or the tees not looking dingy. So this was a test to see if it would really work, and OMG, IT DID!
PRO TIP: if you own Lululemon Swiftys or any of their products with Anti-stink Silverescent® technology, then you CANNOT use Oxiclean on them. It had a weird reaction and caused stains that cannot be removed (without stripping them - which removed all of that! ?? )
I WISH I had a before and after picture so bad. This was the true test knowing laundry stripping is gold and works! My white love tees look brand new and I got every gray dirty grimy dingy thing off my Swifty!
What Else Besides My Workout Clothes Did I Strip?
- White bed sheets and blanket
- White towels and washcloths
- Kitchen towels and hot pads
- All of our underwear and my workout headbands
I want to do our dog's bed and toys next, then pillows, beach towels, and socks next.
Can I Strip Anything?
As far as I know, any clothes that you wash can be stripped. @gocleanco even stripped her feather pillows which were wild!
Laundry Stripping Without Borax
Now. When I first did this, I completely forgot to get Borax AANNNNDDD I was too lazy to go back to the store to get it.
So I used Fels-Naptha * instead.
If you have never heard of this or used it, go get yourself some now! It's 0.97 cents and is a must-have laundry ingredient for tackling stains! If you're a Fels-Naptha fan, then you know!
I just took my lemon zester and shaved ¼ cup into the tub with the Arm & Hammer, Powdered Tide, and Calgon and it worked like a dream!
Can I Use Liquid Tide Instead of Powdered Tide?
This was the second most asked question I got, and the answer is NO.
You need to use powdered Tide for this only.
Some people are allergic to Tide. If you are using another powdered laundry detergent. Tide is best, and powder is a must.
Where Did You Find All the Ingredients You Need To Strip Laundry?
I found everything at Walmart!
Powdered Tide was the hardest to find. I had to go to 2 Walmarts to find everything.
Kroger didn't have most of the stuff. Just go to Walmart.
Some people had a hard time finding Calgon. They sell this on Amazon too if you just want to order for there (affiliate link).
How Often Should I Strip My Laundry?
Every 3 months for your workout clothes that are worn all the time.
Every 6-9 months for things like towels, blankets, etc.
How Do You Strip & Wash Bed Sheets?
Just follow the recipe above. Ours actually wasn't that bad. Which is a good thing, I guess lol.
What If I am Allergic to Tide? What Else Can I Use?
I have seen several people tell me that they are allergic to powdered Tide. If that is the case, try using Tide Free and Gentle * (still the powdered kind). I have not done this, so I am not sure if others will work the same or not. If you do use Tide Free and Gentle or another kind, please let me know how it works!
Show Me Your Pics of How You Are Stripping Your Laundry!
Make sure to check out @gocleanco Instagram page for more info on laundry stripping AND if you're a clean freak like me you will be sucked into a 45-minute binge-watching of all of her highlights!
Send me all your dirty water pics because I have been LOVING seeing them and connecting through how gross and dirty all of our clothes are! ?
I use vinegar only in my rinse cycle due to allergies. I'm wondering if I even need to strip my laundry because of this. If I decide to give this a try anyway can I use liquid Tide which I already have on hand?
That is a good question - I am not sure about the vinegar. But it does have to be the powdered Tide and not the liquid kind. The liquid is too concentrated and will leave a film and residue on everything - which defeats the purpose :/ Hope this helps!
White vinegar doesn't leave any residue.
I’m trying this today BUT I got Arm and Hammer Baking Soda by mistake ?. Just wondering if you’ve ever done this. I hope I’m not wasting my time for MY mistake!!
Oh no! That is easy to do. It does need to be the washing soda instead of the baking soda.
I'm wondering if it's the new efficient washing machines that are the culprit. I've soaked some clean workout clothes in the laundry tub using Norwex detergent and the water is FILTHY! I think the washing machines are efficient at using less energy and water but NOT efficient at actually getting the clothes clean!
I agree with this! And they definitely don't last as long as the older ones did 🙁
Tide is one of the worst laundry detergents for leaving a smelly, chemical, sticky residue in clothes/linens. I'm looking at stripping a full load of clothes that had one garment we got second hand that left the entire load smelling like Tide. Everything felt sticky when removed from the machine, compared to the clean and odor-free we were used to with our regular "natural/environmentally safe" laundry detergent. We only use unscented, non-residue laundry detergents due to all our allergies and sensitive skin.
I can't believe you're using Tide to remove residue, when it leaves residue and is so full of chemicals!
I have not had any problems with Tide before. I haven't much luck with natural detergents either :/ I tried a lot of them for several years and I felt they never got my clothes clean and left a dirty smell on the clothes. Oh well. Thanks for reading the post and sharing what works for you though!
I'm curious if you've found something to strip with that *is* natural? That works? I have had such big problems with tide, skin issues and headaches, that I'm uncomfortable trying even the "free and clear" tide because I can't be stuck with clothes that smell like tide!
Thanks for feedback if you see this and have some!
I haven't used anything else or more natural to strip. I have had terrible luck with natural laundry detergents and don't prefer them. :/ There have been some comments in this post about others who make their own laundry detergent and how it has worked for them - maybe see if some of those are helpful! You are definitely not the only one who struggles and/or is allergic to Tide. I am sorry and hope that is helpful!
Maybe the Tide works during the soak and then is completely washed and rinsed out?
Everything is made of chemicals, even “natural/ environmentally safe” detergent.
We don’t use Tide because the scent irritates me. But other than that, what’s wrong with Tide?
TIde has strong scents (from chemicals that aren't good to inhale or have on your skin), it leaves a residue that is very difficult to get rid of. It contains ingredients that do not biodegrade and are harmful to the environment. They spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising to promote their products. That in itself is a sign that their products are not beneficial and should be avoided.
Totally understand your points Connie. We are all just doing our best and using what works for us!
I have some Lululemon pants that stink of fabric softener. I tried everything to get the smell out, vinegar soaking, dish soap, baking soda, nothing worked. Does anyone have any ideas?
Do this laundry stripping to all my Lululemon and it works so well to get out all the stink too! I also use to work at Lululemon and it is recommended not to use fabric softener on any of their clothing. Hope that helps!
Out of curiosity, what do you use to transfer the load from the tub to the washing machine? Just like a plastic bin or something? Thanks!
Just an empty laundry basket. I try and twist and squeeze out as much water as possible, put it in a laundry basket, and take it straight to the washer. It isn't easy for sure - wringing out the clothes is hard - especially towels! lol - But that has worked for me. Great question!
I find that using a reinforced kitchen trash bag makes transferring wet items a lot less messy…although, tracking dripping laundry through the house is also an incentive to clean my floors, lol.
OMG - what a great idea!!! HAHA! This made me laugh so much 🙂 The struggle of carry 10000000 pounds of wet clothes to the washer without soaking your whole house is REAL!
I am highly allergic to the chemicals in dryer sheets. I have managed to get a lot of my clothes and linens contaminated with it. I stripped all my sheets and towels and it worked like a charm. Can I strip my polyesters by dissolving the powders in hot water but soaking the clothes in warm? Can I do something else? Help?
Oh yay! I am so glad! I would assume dissolving the powers first and letting the water cool down slightly would work. - however, I have never tried it so I do not know for sure. I would say it's worth the try. But again, I haven't personally tried it. Hope it helps though!
I made this power up in my stainless steel kitchen sink as above (cutting in half since I was doing small load) as I wanted to try it on (1) bra first before doing multiple white bras.
After powder was dissolved, I added bra and stirred about with a heavy duty plastic spoon. Bra immediately turned dark dingy gray, worse than I started with. 😥. I don’t know if this powder had a reaction to my stainless steel sink? But I wouldn’t have thought so since washing machines are made out of stainless steel.
Oh no! I am not sure - I am sorry! I have no idea why that happened :/
Can you dry the clothes in a dryer, rather than hanging dry? I don't have space to hang dryl
I do have clothes line, so might try this summer.
Thanks for your assistance.
Cynthia Klopp
Of course - I just hang dry the majority of my clothes. I never dry any of our workout and athletic clothes though and I wouldn't recommend drying them. But whatever you normally do it is best for you you can do!
Question: what is the correct way to strip swiftly tanks/long sleeves as those are the only tops I wear to workout in? You said no oxyclean? You replace with something else?
Hey Anna! Same here - those are the only tops I work out in as well. For stripping, just follow the recipe as directed (Tide, Borax, Calgon, and Arm & Hammer) - just make sure to separate colors. I usually do darks together and then pinky/reds together and whites together. You just need to avoid OxiClean in general and for regular washing any swiftlys or any Lululemon shirts that have silverescent technology in them. That is what has the chemical reaction to the oxygen in Oxiclean. I have ruined a couple of white Swiftylys before I knew this - a friend who I use to work at Lulu with told me this after I was complaining about my white tanks being yellowed and some stains that were literally getting worse after I washed (with spray oxiclean clean stain spray). Bummer - but now I know! But for stripping them, the regular recipe is just fine! Hope this helps!
I've tried this laundry stripping method on all my Lululemon gear, and it's incredibly effective at removing any lingering odors! It's worth noting that during my time working at Lululemon, we always advised against using fabric softener on their clothing. Just a helpful tip!
Yes! While I worked there too we always told our customers not to use fabric softener or dry their items. I am glad this helped you too - sometimes you just need an little extra help to get that funk out!
I started doing this and was AMAZED at what it did to my (already clean) clothes.
Can I post photos of my bathtub on here?
My roommate calls it “dirt soup”. 🙂
Hahaha dirt soup is an accurate description! If you can post a picture that would be awesome!