Deep Clean Laundry Reset

Deep Clean Laundry Reset

Want to get old stains and smells out of your clothes?

On Reddit, there is an amazing post by a laundry geek, called Kismai, who understands the chemistry side of fabric cleaning. It's a fascinating read, with tons of info! I couldn't cover everything, but I've created a visual recipe out of "option 2" (the one I use), to make the process simpler to understand for visual learners.

Get ready

Cooler or storage bin

Cooler or storage bin

Ammonia

Ammonia

Oxygen laundry booster / stain remover

Oxygen laundry booster/stain remover

Detergent powder (not liquid)

Detergent powder

Which products to buy?

Here are the most commonly used products per region, for this specific recipe. If you want to understand how and why, please dig into the articles linked above. There are too many subtleties to account for here!

Region Laundry booster Detergent powder
USA Biz (“Stainfighter”, not liquid, not pods) Tide Powder, 365 Powder
Canada Resolve Gold Powder Tide Powder
Europe Vanish Gold Powder Ariel Powder, Denkmit Powder
Australia Vanish Gold Powder Omo Ultimate Powder
1. Sort clothes by color
Pile of colored clothes
Colors
Pile of dark clothes
Darks
Pile of white clothes
Whites

The Soak

2. Prepare the soak in the container
Hot tap water
Hot tap water
1 gallon (or 4 litres)
Laundry booster
Laundry booster
1/4 cup

Double, triple, ... as necessary

Open cooler or storage bin
Cooler or storage bin
Stir
Dissolve completely!

Dissolve powder COMPLETELY to avoid discoloration!

Undissolved powder crystals hiding in the suds
Powder crystals love to hide in the suds
Close-up of bleach spots on a t-shirt shoulder
Risk of small spots!
3. Add clothes
Pile of dark clothes
Open cooler or storage bin
Soapy water
4. Make sure clothes stay under water
Clothes sticking out of the water
No clothes poking out!
Coffee mug
Plate

Use big mugs or plates as weights to keep clothes down

5. Cover and wait
Close the lid
8 hours (of enzyme magic!)

The Deep Wash

6. Drain or empty the container
Drain or empty the container
7. Powders first, directly in wash basket
Detergent powder
Detergent powder
Filled scoop
Per label
Laundry booster
Laundry booster
Filled scoop
Per label
Washing machine
Washing machine
8. Add clothes
Wet, dripping t-shirt
Wringing clothes — not needed
Avoid wringing your clothes harshly
Washing machine
Washing machine
9. Add ammonia on top of wet clothes
Ammonia
Ammonia (5%)
1 cup
Strong smell
Strong smell is normal
10. Start wash cycle
Washing machine
  1. Heavy duty cycle
  2. Hot (or warm)
  3. Extra-rinse
11. Hang to dry
Clothes hung up to dry
12. Examine dry clothes

If stains or smells persist, do another deep wash.

Enjoying visual recipes? Discover more!