How to Soak Clothes
Pre-soak your clothes before washing., Draw water into the laundry machine., Add detergent or stain remover., Soak your clothes., Rinse the soaked clothes to remove detergent., Wash clothing as normal.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pre-soak your clothes before washing.
You can soak clothes directly in the chamber of your washing machine if you plan to machine wash them afterward.
All you need to do is add detergent to the water drawn into the washing machine, then let the clothes soak for 20-30 minutes in the mix of detergent and standing water.It will be easier to soak clothes in a top-loading washing machine than in a side-loading machine.
Check your side-loading machine for an integrated pre-soak function.Pre-soaking in the machine can be convenient because you won't need to transfer the fabric after the soak.
However, you don't need to soak in the washing machine if you plan to hand-wash your clothes. -
Step 2: Draw water into the laundry machine.
Start the wash cycle with the machine empty so that the chamber fills up with water.
Then, when it is at least half-full, stop the cycle so that you can prepare the soak. , Use the regular amount that you would use to wash your clothes.Swish and stir the cleaning agent to ensure that it dissolves into the water.
When the detergent is evenly distributed and the water is soapy, you are ready to add your clothing.
The recommended dose of detergent should be listed on the bottle of the cleaning product.
If there is a cap to the detergent, you can usually get by with filling the cap. , Put all of the clothes you wish to wash into the chamber of the laundry machine.
Make sure that all garments are completely submerged beneath the water-and-detergent mixture.
Leave the fabrics to soak for up to an hour unless otherwise directed.
Leave tough stains to soak for even longer.
If the fabric is resilient—say, denim or canvas—you can soak for several hours to launch a more powerful attack on the stain.
Don't soak for too long! Fragile fibers like wool and cotton may begin to come apart or dissolve with extended exposure to stain-removal agents.
This is especially the case if you are using an industrial-strength product like bleach. , When the hour has passed, take the clothing out of the washing machine and rinse it thoroughly to remove the soaking detergent or stain-removal fluid.
This step is generally considered optional if you plan to immediately run the clothing through the wash. , If the soak did not remove the stain, then you may consider soaking again – but be careful not to be too hard on the fabric.
A more intensive, localized soak or scrub might be the way to tackle a tough stain. -
Step 3: Add detergent or stain remover.
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Step 4: Soak your clothes.
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Step 5: Rinse the soaked clothes to remove detergent.
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Step 6: Wash clothing as normal.
Detailed Guide
You can soak clothes directly in the chamber of your washing machine if you plan to machine wash them afterward.
All you need to do is add detergent to the water drawn into the washing machine, then let the clothes soak for 20-30 minutes in the mix of detergent and standing water.It will be easier to soak clothes in a top-loading washing machine than in a side-loading machine.
Check your side-loading machine for an integrated pre-soak function.Pre-soaking in the machine can be convenient because you won't need to transfer the fabric after the soak.
However, you don't need to soak in the washing machine if you plan to hand-wash your clothes.
Start the wash cycle with the machine empty so that the chamber fills up with water.
Then, when it is at least half-full, stop the cycle so that you can prepare the soak. , Use the regular amount that you would use to wash your clothes.Swish and stir the cleaning agent to ensure that it dissolves into the water.
When the detergent is evenly distributed and the water is soapy, you are ready to add your clothing.
The recommended dose of detergent should be listed on the bottle of the cleaning product.
If there is a cap to the detergent, you can usually get by with filling the cap. , Put all of the clothes you wish to wash into the chamber of the laundry machine.
Make sure that all garments are completely submerged beneath the water-and-detergent mixture.
Leave the fabrics to soak for up to an hour unless otherwise directed.
Leave tough stains to soak for even longer.
If the fabric is resilient—say, denim or canvas—you can soak for several hours to launch a more powerful attack on the stain.
Don't soak for too long! Fragile fibers like wool and cotton may begin to come apart or dissolve with extended exposure to stain-removal agents.
This is especially the case if you are using an industrial-strength product like bleach. , When the hour has passed, take the clothing out of the washing machine and rinse it thoroughly to remove the soaking detergent or stain-removal fluid.
This step is generally considered optional if you plan to immediately run the clothing through the wash. , If the soak did not remove the stain, then you may consider soaking again – but be careful not to be too hard on the fabric.
A more intensive, localized soak or scrub might be the way to tackle a tough stain.
About the Author
Jean Collins
A passionate writer with expertise in creative arts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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