How To Strip Your Laundry + Get Rid Of Years’ Worth Of Stink

I know what you’re thinking – strip your laundry? But hear me out…How many of you have clothes that, no matter how much you wash them, they have some set-in smells that don’t seem to disappear? I’m shaking my head yes, particularly as it pertains to workout clothes (hello nasty sports bras). How many of you have towels that smell mildewy after just one use? Or how about sheets that are a bit dingy? If you said yes to any of the above, you need to know how to strip your laundry! 

How To Strip Your Laundry

Firs things first – what is laundry stripping? Stripping your laundry means removing sunk-in smells, hard water build up and sebum (think skin oil and particles) that gets stuck in the fibers of clothes, towels, and sheets. 

I had heard of this cleaning hack before, but it was brought to my attention again by my friends Brin and Max who discovered it on the Go Clean Co Instagram account. By the way, her account is an actual internet hole of some of the most amazing cleaning hacks I’ve ever found, and I would highly recommend it! 

To Strip Your Laundry, You Will Need:

1/4 cup Borax

1/4 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda 

1/4 cup Calgon (I didn’t have this – it still worked fine!)

1 scoop of Tide powdered laundry detergent 

Once you have all your ingredient assembled, gather whatever you want to strip. I started with my nastiest workout clothes that were “clean” right out of my drawer.

Even though I buy a lot of stink-free Lululemon and Athleta now, I have old workout clothes that I’ve owned for YEARS that had built up quite an odor, but there was nothing actually wrong with them, so I really struggled getting rid of them. They still work great for fitness activities! And as a side note, even things that say “unstinkable” smell to me after awhile. 

I have to be honest, I was really hesitant to do this, because it reminded me a bit of OxiClean. OxiClean single handedly ruined a pair of my favorite leggings from Lululemon several years ago and it made me irate. But after seeing so many people online do it, into the bathtub they went!

Plug your tub and put in the hottest water you can from the faucet and add in all of the above ingredients. Swirl the clothes around in the tub. 

Come back every hour for 4-6 hours (I did right around 4.5), and swirl the clothes around. Do not be shocked by how dirty your water looks almost immediately…and prepare for the shock of your life when it’s done.

I was particularly grossed out that when I put my hand in the tub, you couldn’t see through the filth. Gross, I know.

When finished, run them through a normal washing machine cycle, and get ready to be amazed. Not only did our clothes (I did Dane’s, too) turn out incredibly soft, but pit stains that were the normal for some of Dane’s shirts and the nastiest odor from my sports bras….IS GONE!

So tell me – am I late to the laundry stripping game? Have you been stripping your laundry for years?