🧺 The What:
A process to remove certain residues from fabric.
🧺 The Why:
Over time, fabrics can accumulate build up that can contribute to mildew, odors, rough texture, mold, bacterial overgrowth, dingy appearance, etc. This can be build up from mineral deposits from the water, detergents, fabric softeners, oil and sebum, dead skin cells, dirt, dust, products, and other factors. Some fabrics can be stripped of these components to help eliminate odor and make them more like their original state.
I personally do not strip fabrics often but did become familiar with this practice during my 4+ years of cloth diapering.
🧺 The How:
There are several ways to go about this. I will share 2 that I’ve had success with.
✨ Not recommended for fabrics that aren’t color safe, are dry clean only, or are very delicate. Use your best judgment.
✨ Always start with clean fabric. Can be wet or dry but should have recently been laundered.
✨ Can be done in a washing machine that is able to fill with hot water and remain soaking for an extended period of time. Otherwise some options are a bathtub, large bucket, or small pool.
Step 1: fill basin of choice with hot water. Will work with cool water but hot really helps the powders dissolve and for the residue to be broken down. Enough to fully submerge the fabrics.
Step 2: Add the ingredients. Either👇🏼
A) @grovia Mighty Bubbles. One pod does the trick.
or
B) 1/2-1 cup each of Borax and Baking Soda (Optional: also add 1/2-1 cup Washing Soda) + a regular amount of your favorite less toxic detergent. Here I did a tsp of @branchbasics concentrate and two scoops of their oxygen boost. (They share a very similar method on their feed and in their blog 👌🏼)
Step 3: Let soak for several hours and up to overnight. Stir occasionally if possible.
Step 4: Drain and run the fabric through a good rinse cycle or two using only water. Dry normally.