What the heck is laundry stripping? If this is your first reaction, you're not alone. This method has been making the rounds online lately and a lot of you fine folks have been asking if it's safe for your linen.
Laundry stripping is nothing new, though it’s popularity as of late can be attributed to the rise of home hacks on TikTok, Instagram and other social platforms in a time when we’re all looking to make our homes as comfortable as possible. Laundry stripping refers to the process of letting items such as bedsheets and towels soak in a borax solution to remove any built up residue from detergent, fabric softener, hard water or body oils. Sure, this is a visually satisfying process (leaving you with a tub full of murky water and a visual confirmation of a job well done), but is it safe for your linen?
We get it - a 'reset button for your bedding' sounds great, but using anything aside from a gentle, natural detergent on your linen will affect its lifespan in a negative way. Stripping also requires leaving your linens sitting in a harsh borax solution and hot water for hours, which will cause dyes to run and can work to break down your linen and cause premature signs of wear. In fact, dirt isn’t the only thing that the murky water left behind in your bathtub consists of - often the results are exaggerated due to the amount of dye that has also been stripped as a result of this process.
According to experts, your valuable time would be better spent preventing the need to strip your laundry in the first place. Avoid using too much detergent and be careful not to overload your machine. If you're diligent about following these best laundering practices, you shouldn't see the need to strip your bedding.
For our laundering best practices that will help you and your linen live a long and happy life together, check out our How to Launder & Care for your Flax Sleep Linen journal post.