LAUNDRY DEEP CLEAN

Remove Stubborn Odors & Oily Stains

🤔 WHY IT WORKS

Body oils (sebum) build up → Turn rancid → Smell bad

Regular detergent can't fully remove these oils

This method breaks down oils + removes them completely

🛁 STEP 1: SPA DAY (8-12 Hour Soak)

Choose ONE product (powder only — liquids can't hold oxygen bleach):

★ BEST: Tide powder, orange box (¼ cup/gallon)

Label must list: sodium carbonate peroxide · TAED · lipase

• Alternative: Biz powder (¼ cup/gallon)

• DIY: OxiClean Free + enzyme detergent

1. Fill container with HOT water — just enough to cover clothes

2. Dissolve powder COMPLETELY (wear gloves)

3. Add sorted clothes (weigh down to keep submerged)

4. Soak 8-12 hours

5. Drain (don't rinse)

🌊 STEP 2: REHAB (Machine Wash)

1. Put damp clothes in washer

2. Add regular detergent

3. Add 1 cup ammonia to the water as it fills

4. Run heavy-duty cycle, warm (hot for towels & white cotton)

5. Use extra rinses

6. Air dry to check results

⚠ Oxygen bleach only. Never mix ammonia with chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) — toxic gas

Check each item first: Is it safe to soak? · Top-loader? Washer method

IS IT SAFE TO SOAK?

Check every item first — when in doubt, leave it out

✅ SAFE TO SOAK

•

Cotton — tees, sweatshirts, towels, socks

•

Polyester, nylon, spandex — gym clothes, leggings

•

Linen

Good news: smelly gym clothes are usually synthetic — the safest to soak.

⛔ KEEP OUT

Wool — incl. merino, cashmere, hiking socks

Silk

Rayon — viscose, "bamboo," modal, Tencel

Leather, suede, faux leather, down

Metal buttons, snaps, rivets, zippers

Wool, silk, down = protein; enzymes digest it.

🏷️ NO TAG? HOW TO TELL

1. Look for a 2nd label — often sewn inside a side seam, near the bottom

2. Look it up — search the brand + item name; the store page lists the fabric

3. Go by type & feel

Gym clothes, leggings — slick, stretchy, quick-drying

Synthetic ✅

Plain tees, sweatshirts, towels

Cotton ✅

Sweaters, warm socks, "merino" — springy, itchy, wet-dog smell when wet

Wool ⛔

Shiny, smooth, dressy (unless you know it's polyester)

Maybe silk ⛔

Drapey, flowy, or extra-soft "bamboo"

Rayon ⛔

4. Burn test — a few threads from an inside seam, tweezers, over the sink

Melts into a hard bead, plastic smell

Synthetic ✅

Burns like paper, soft gray ash

Cotton or rayon — tell by feel

Smells like burnt hair

Wool or silk ⛔

🎨 COLORS

•

Soak darks / lights / reds separately

•

Riskiest: reds, navy/black, new jeans, cheap brights

Test first:

1. Pinch of Tide in a little hot water

2. Dab a hidden spot (inside hem)

3. Wait 10 min, blot with a white paper towel

Color on towel or a lighter spot = keep out

🔁 HOW OFTEN

•

Rescue, not routine: for clothes that still smell after washing

•

Repeat if needed (up to 3x)

•

After that, only when the smell comes back

Keep it from coming back:

•

Wash with enzyme detergent (the Tide)

•

Don't let sweaty clothes sit damp

•

No fabric softener on gym clothes

WASHER METHOD

Soak and wash in a top-loader — no tub, easy draining

⚠️ BEFORE YOU START

•

Check each item: Is it safe to soak? · sort darks / lights / reds

•

Bleach dispenser empty — ammonia goes in later, and chlorine + ammonia = toxic gas

•

Start when nobody has showered for an hour or two — hottest water

🛁 STEP 1: SOAK IN THE WASHER (8-12 Hours)

Hot/Cold Smallest load size that covers the clothes

How much Tide — kitchen measuring cups (1 cup = 8 oz):

Load size

Water (rough)

Tide

Small

12–15 gallons

3–4 cups

Medium / Large

in between

4–5 cups

Super

20–25 gallons

5–6 cups

Rough guess for a typical top-loader — a cup either way is fine. Using the box scoop? Fill it with water once and pour into a measuring cup to see what it holds.

Steps:

1. Start filling with NO clothes — pour the Tide into the water

2. Let it agitate 1–2 min to dissolve, then stop it (push the knob in)

3. Add clothes, push them under, close the lid (holds the heat)

4. Soak 8-12 hours

5. Turn the dial to spin/drain and start — drains with no rinse

🌊 STEP 2: REHAB WASH

Heavy Duty Warm/Cold (Hot/Cold for towels & white cotton)

1. Add regular detergent

2. Add 1 cup ammonia to the water as it fills — plain, not "sudsy"

3. Extra rinse: when it ends, turn the dial back to rinse and run again

4. Air dry — smell-check before anything goes in the dryer

⚠ Oxygen bleach only. Never mix ammonia with chlorine bleach — toxic gas. Open a window.