Is anybody else laundry stripping?

I have to clean my clean laundry? No. 😂. There are 6 people in this house. I don’t have time to clean the clean laundry and the dirty laundry.

I can barely keep up with the basic wash dry and fold. I used to strip cloth diapers though.

Stay filthy, my friends.

We replaced our washer and dryer a few years back and I searched for an old-fashioned set with very few bells-and-whistles. My top load washer has an agitator and I generally keep the water setting on the highest level. I use less detergent than called for in most loads of everyday laundry. I only use more detergent and any additives (OxiClean or bleach) when specifically needed. No liquid fabric softener. I use dryer balls and add a dryer sheet occasionally as needed.

Long story short - if you don't add a lot of chemicals to your clothes, you don't have need to strip them out.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant (and bleach) around. I washed my couch cushion covers yesterday and put them out in the sun to dry. I also put my uncovered cushions out in the sun. The spots on the cushions where heads rest were yellowed with body oils/sweat and were bleached white with no odor by afternoon. I also recommend putting white linens out in the sun to bleach rather than using bleach. I personally like the smell of bleach, so I do both.

I haven’t used borax and washing soda together so I can’t really comment on that, but I have used borax by itself to soak a bunch of DD’s socks. I’m talking previously washed, supposedly “clean” socks, and the water in the basin after soaking them was absolutely disgusting. We have a HE washer, use the correct (small) amount of detergent and never use fabric softener and we also have hard water which makes detergent less effective. I know my clothes and laundry aren’t getting as clean with the HE washer as they did with our old school top loader that we had before at our old house that eventually died.

As to the original question, I have “stripped” our bath towels by washing with baking soda and white vinegar before to remove funk smells, and that does work.

FWIW, I’m never going to own another front loading washer after this one dies. Even though I don’t overdo the detergent, don’t use any scent boosters or fabric softeners (which a lot of people do), and I do use plain vinegar in more loads than not, leave the door and compartments open when I’m not using the washer so it can dry out between loads and clean out the filter as recommended, etc. I still end up getting a funky smelling washer. The disgusting, slimy, stinky black muck that comes out of the filter is so gross.

I use good old fashioned White Dial Soap on stains. White board marker stains, food stains, blood, when ds was on TPN, when dd was on NG feeds, grass stains, ring around the collar...gets it all out.

Get the area wet, get the soap wet, lather up, and toss into the washer with your normal detergent and I always do an extra rinse.

Believe it or not I'm in a laundry group on fb and this is a really popular thing there. I have a top loader that fills up all the way so I have no plans to strip my laundry.

I can’t wait for my front loader to die.  I’ve taken to using laundry sanitizer in every load because my clothes are stinky if I don’t.  I’ve run affresh thru it monthly even!  It’s horrible.

I only use maybe 2 tablespoons of unscented all and a splash of Lysol. in my machine.

No problem with icky clothes or stinky machine

Use your pre soak cycle if you want to soak your clothes.

The lady that runs the page did it first with her workout clothes that were all freshly washed and she washed and wore each week for at least a year. The water was gross and she said it smelled like gym sweat. Then she did it with her white towels and I'm sure she bleaches all the time, she loves the bleach. Makes me curious.

I use hot water and bleach for washing towels and sheets. Don't see the need to soak them in super hot water and borax. Used to do that with bedding 60+ years ago when we did not have running water and needed to run more than one "load" through the ringer washer. Have no desire to do it again.

Thinking that alot of the "grime" they are showing in the water when clothes have been stripped is dye being leached from the clothes rather than dirt? Just a hunch.