# "Laundry Stripping" - hooey or real? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 7, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486 "2020-12-07T17:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/21 "2020-12-08T22:05:23Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > f you want another test, see if the scary-looking soaking water is any scarier than what the washing machine pumps out (at the same level of clothes to water dilution). Having watched what comes out of washing machine… it’s typically pretty gross. Heck, just rinsing something in plain water can result in gross run-off. That’s sort of the point to cleaning, after all, to remove the dirt and the water acts as a carrier. > [@md-2000](#): > > I saw another website similar to the one linked, that also said a wash cycle in vinegar (then again in baking soda) would get towels fluffy and less scratchy. their logic was that the process got rid of hard water residue and the waxy buildup from those Bounce-type dryer sheets that are supposed to get your laundry smelling nice. I avoid a lot of that problem by simply _not using dryer sheets on the towels and washcloths._ ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/22 "2020-12-08T22:50:14Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > It all actually makes sense - except the murky brown water in the tub once someone has done this process. Really, that’s the part that looks totally wacked out to me. If I let the soapy water sit in my tub for a couple of hours, it gets a bit of a murky brown color. But the bath rings are gone… My old washing machine had a nice “soak” cycle, but I don’t really like my new washing machine. If I want to soak something small, I use a bucket: If I want to soak something big, I use the bathtub. Does soaking have any effect? The completion equation for a first-order chemical reaction is of the form ln(time). Sometimes it helps to just soak your sheets for a long time, to get them clean. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/23 "2020-12-09T02:33:36Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Apparently those leave a waxy residue behind. That’s basically what fabric softener is…a wax coating that makes the fabric slippery. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/24 "2020-12-09T03:06:31Z")
Modern detergents often have enzymes as well; they’d definitely benefit from a bit of a longer soak than just the wash cycle. I’d have to question whether the dark water was due to dirt, or just dye leaching out of the clothes over the course of an extended soak though. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/25 "2020-12-09T09:03:57Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > There is, indeed, a small amount of laundry products residue on your clothes. Just like there are mites living on your skin and on your eyelashes. > > Neither one is a real problem. One experiment that some might find instructive is running another wash cycle with no detergent at all and see what kind of sudsing you get. I tried it once with my old front-loader – a full wash cycle with no detergent after the laundry had already been washed and rinsed on the “extra water” cycle. The soap suds were halfway up the glass of the front door – and I repeat, this was with no detergent at all added to the wash! I had previously been using the recommended amount of liquid HE detergent via the built-in detergent dispenser. That experiment taught me to start using a lot less detergent, which saves money and is better for the environment and seems to have no effect on cleaning power. I haven’t tried a similar experiment with the new high-efficiency top loader that I replaced it with, but I follow the same rule of using about half as much detergent (Tide HE) as recommended. I also enable the “extra rinse” cycle. Not in the dishwasher, though, which is a completely different situation. Although phosphates have been eliminated in all consumer detergents, it affects dishwashers much more than washing machines, in my view. I always load up both the main and the pre-wash dispensers fully, and use the maximum hot “sani” setting. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/26 "2020-12-09T11:47:44Z")
When DH was in the Army Reserve, and they came out with the current standard uniform, the [ACUs (the digital print)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Combat_Uniform), we got a piece of paper with care instructions, and in bold all-caps was not to use dryer sheets or fabric softener with them. I asked around, and never got an official answer, but what everyone who had an answer “knew” (it could be a UL, but it was the only answer I ever heard, and I heard it from some high-ups), that waxy coating from at least some brands of fabric softeners will fluoresce, making you very easy to spot, and defeating the purpose of the uniform that blends into the background. In regard to soaking, I don’t have a soak cycle on my machine, because it’s a little apartment efficiency machine that attaches to the sink, but if I shut it off right after it fills, or after one or two minutes of agitation, I get “soak.” For as long as I want. I realize that some full-sized machines automatically drain if they are shut off during a cycle, but one way around that is this: instead of using the dial to shut it off, open the lid. If you have a cat, maybe place a cookie sheet or something over it. I use “soak” when I need to get odors out of things. Having had a few geriatric cats, and not-yet-housebroken puppies, and a human boy who is a bit of a klutz, and tends toward spills, this has been a concern. Soaking with baking soda in the water (COLD) before the odor has a chance to set usually prevents it from setting at all. If it’s dried, it’s harder to get out, and usually requires a very long soak in Odo-ban or Febreeze for pet odors, then a couple of wash cycles, but it’s possible. Also, I have never used as much detergent as the bottle says. Of course the company is going to tell you to use as much as it can get away with-- it wants you to buy more. I usually start out with half, and that does it. Considering that I have read studies that running laundry through a plain water cycle gets stuff nearly as clean as a cycle with detergent, I’m not worried. If something is especially dirty, what it needs is a longer cycle-- or a double cycle, not extra detergent. It might need spot treatment as well, but not extra detergent in the whole load. The only time I ever use a lot of detergent is when I have a big oil spill on something (which around here, comes up more often than you might think)-- motor oil or cooking oil, it matters not-- detergent breaks it down, but it breaks down itself in the process. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/27 "2020-12-09T13:20:09Z")
When we got our fancy front-loading HE machine about 12 years ago, the fellow who sold it (and the repairman, later) said - do not use anywhere near the amount of detergent listed on the bottle/cap. There are 4 or 5 volume markers on the cap of a Tide bottle, and we have always used about half the smallest one, never had a problem. The repair guy said - first, try not to overfill with clothes. Also, too much detergent makes it foam up, and sooner or later that constant contact with liquid will cause the center bearings to rust. Also, when not in use, keep the door open and let it dry out inside; that also reduced the opportunity to rust (and stink). And we learned over time to leave the detergent drawer open when not in use to avoid mold. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/28 "2020-12-11T17:25:15Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I asked around, and never got an official answer, but what everyone who had an answer “knew” (it could be a UL, but it was the only answer I ever heard, and I heard it from some high-ups), that waxy coating from at least some brands of fabric softeners will fluoresce, making you very easy to spot, and defeating the purpose of the uniform that blends into the background. IIRC, one feature of some laundry detergent (not softener) was that it fluoresced. This was evident when wearing a white shirt under a black light, the white glowed because of the detergent. The practical reason for this was that in bright light like sunlight, the added glow while not obvious made the shirt appear more white, Remember when some detergents would claim to get clothes “whiter than white”? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/29 "2020-12-12T04:07:48Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > When DH was in the Army Reserve, and they came out with the current standard uniform, the [ACUs (the digital print)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Army_Combat_Uniform), we got a piece of paper with care instructions, and in bold all-caps was not to use dryer sheets or fabric softener with them. Fabric softeners are thought to decrease fire resistance. I wouldn’t argue with popular opinion, but I never heard of a florescent fabric softener. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/30 "2020-12-12T04:15:33Z")
> [@I.Dunno](#): > > I for one WELCOME our new Hidden Dirt Overlords!! I would too if I could only see them! ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/31 "2020-12-12T04:42:11Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > IIRC, one feature of some laundry detergent (not softener) was that it fluoresced. This was evident when wearing a white shirt under a black light, the white glowed because of the detergent…Remember when some detergents would claim to get clothes “whiter than white”? Bluing was a common washing additive for centuries. Traces of blue dye in the wash or rinse would cancel out the yellowing/dulling of white fabrics making them appear whiter. This was eventually added to detergents and liquid fabric softeners, which is why most are blue in color (I assume the small number of blue crystals in powder detergent are also the dye but I don’t have any verification of that). Bluing has generally been replaced with the fluorescing compounds starting a good 60 years ago, but it’s still used in some markets. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@Earl\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/32 "2020-12-12T06:49:57Z")
Smells like a buncha hooey to me. Only thing I know of that stays on washed items and can cause problems is fabric softener, it can build up on towels and terry cloths and make them less absorbent. Usually adding some vinegar to the rinse cycle can eliminate this problem, and even then you only have to do it maybe once a month ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/33 "2020-12-12T22:41:47Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Fabric softeners are thought to decrease fire resistance. I wouldn’t argue with popular opinion, but I never heard of a florescent fabric softener. Detergents actually do contain [dyes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_brightener) that fluoresce a bit to make the clothes appear brighter. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/34 "2020-12-12T22:44:09Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Detergents actually do contain [dyes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_brightener) that fluoresce a bit to make the clothes appear brighter. Yes. I always use a fluorescing washing powder for my business shirts. I’m willing to be educated, but I don’t know of any fabric softener that has that effect. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/35 "2020-12-13T16:50:47Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Supposedly, soaking your clothing etc. in a tub full of hot water, and borax, washing soda, and detergent, will allow a bunch of stuff that has been sitting on your “clean” clothes, to be soaked away - yielding a tub full of soggy fabric and some rather scary-looking soaking water (yes, there are Youtube videos showing the process and yeah, it does look gross). So, soaking in borax and soda will remove the detergent (or fabric softener) residue from my clothes, and replace it with residue of borax and soda. Is that supposed to be an improvement? ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/36 "2020-12-13T19:24:36Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > So, soaking in borax and soda will remove the detergent (or fabric softener) residue from my clothes, and replace it with residue of borax and soda. Is that supposed to be an improvement? Borax/washing sodas are basically just salts that bond minerals and detergents with water, so those things don’t deposit on clothes as readily. Salts are easier to rinse away, along with all the other crud that they’ve bonded with, since they just dissolve in the rinse water. Sounds like an improvement to me. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/37 "2020-12-13T21:25:33Z")
That may be so, but if someone wants me to try this it’s up to them to make that case. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/38 "2020-12-15T16:30:30Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > It all actually makes sense - except the murky brown water in the tub once someone has done this process. Really, that’s the part that looks totally wacked out to me. Sounds like the come-on for ionic foot baths, where brownish glop in the water is supposedly the Dreaded Toxins being removed from your body (but is actually staining by corrosion from the electrodes). I’d file “laundry stripping” with clickbait advice to pour salt down your drains and wrap rubber bands around the doorknob when you stay in a hotel. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Bredin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@John\_Bredin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Bredin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/39 "2020-12-15T18:02:17Z")
Am I the only one who thinks of [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0vG8tpCeqs) when I see this thread title? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486/40 "2020-12-15T18:29:11Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > … and wrap rubber bands around the doorknob when you stay in a hotel. Huh? Please explain. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-stripping-hooey-or-real/927486.md?page=3)