Oh yeah, let that title sink in... laundry stripping... I know you are excited. This is going to be a very sexy post... all about dirty laundry! Ahh the life of a wife and mom. So hawt. As one of my friends commented when I said this was my new obsession, "Picturing you doing a sexy dance in your laundry room..." As you should... as you should.
Anywho, here's the story. I was at my wits end. Between the sour milk smell in some of the nugget's onesies and the stank in my husband's workout clothes, the moldy smelling towels relegated to the dog and the dish towels that smell less than fresh... I needed to do something. I tried baking soda in the washer... vinegar... all sorts of detergents... nothing worked. I was on the verge of throwing things in the trash.
Then I remembered someone mentioning in some Facebook group that you can "strip" your laundry (cloth diaper people, you know what I am talking about). So I did some research. For The Love Of Clean is pretty much THE authority on cleaning online. If you have hard water (like we do) or sweat stains or build up of minerals, soap, etc or you bought it already worn (thrift store, etc)... you may need to strip your laundry. Here is a guide to if you should strip, deep clean, or sanitize.
Can I just stop for a second and say that I could read this website all day long? Seriously. Look at all the interesting stuff here!
Ok let's get down to it. I've done it twice now and I am obsessed. Each time the water has been a different color and the bathroom STINKS! Gross, I know but I feel like "whoooo, it's working!" I literally have a batch in the tub right now and love checking on it! I'm taking pictures every hour and they really don't do it justice!
Basically, you are putting enzymes in hot water and that is lifting out the stains, minerals, and stank. It's super easy. See this process in detail and with more information here.
At this point, if you are like me, you are super duper excited and want to get started... but you need supplies first. I ordered mine on Amazon Prime so it got here fast. For The Love Of Clean has a recipe for a homemade version but I just bought the two they recommended - Grovia Mighty Bubbles (cloth diaper mommas you know) and RLR. Get their homemade version here.
Start with clean laundry. Wet or dry. I sniff tested after I dried things and made a pile of "to strip."
Fill something with hot water. I used our tub because I had a lot of stuff. You can use a sink for a small batch and a top load washer but... that seems cray to me. They say half full... I put enough to cover the clothing. Also, get the water as hot as possible.
Add your potion of choice and dissolve it in the hot water.
Put your stuff in and let it soak until the water cools (that is like a million years but leave it in for at least four hours).
Stir every hour or so to release crap... I put my stuff in and the water was clear, I stirred it and it turned BROWN!
When it's done (four hours or cool), drain and squeeze the water out of the clothes.
Run a load with water only (no detergent) then dry as usual.
Smell your awesome clothes/towels/etc.
Ok so ... here are my pics ... These pics are not doing the color justice... it is so gnarly... If you try this, share your pics in the comments! :)