Learn how to remove all the dirt from towels by following a TikTok video
There is a word in English that refers to a particular type of dramatic cleaning technique and this is known as "purging". This involves washing items thoroughly and getting out everything that has accumulated between the fibers over time. Accumulation of dirt and debris usually happens after repeated washing in the washing machine using an excess of detergents and softeners and without having used high temperatures cycles (which are often avoided due to the fact that high temperatures can damage certain types of materials).
On social media we can see various examples of how various garments - or even household linen - washed with this drastic method, seems to purge all the invisible dirt which has accumulated over the years. An example is one shown by user @mrslaurenelms on TikTok.
In the video, the woman shows how by soaking towels from the bathroom in a mixture of readily available ingredients, the water in which they are immersed turns dark in just a matter of minutes.
What is needed?
- 50 grams of borax
- 50 grams of baking soda
- a tablespoon of laundry detergent (powder or liquid)
How do you proceed? It's very simple:
- Fill the bathtub or a large basin with water and added the products (obviously if you use a smaller container, where only a few liters of water can be held compared to the tub, proportionally reduce the quantities of borax, bicarbonate and detergent used).
- Place the towels to be washed into the water.
- Stir the towels every now and then with a stick (a broom handle is fine too) to get them properly soaked.
- After a few hours (you decide - you can wait up to 5 hours), wring out the towels and proceed with a normal wash, obviously without exceeding the regular doses of detergents normally used.
After a few minutes the water will already look dirty, and after 4 or 5 hours it will look really muddy, as you can see in the video. It is really impressive to see all the dirt that can come out of the towels.
If you are not sure of the result and you are afraid that this technique may cause the fabrics to discolour, try it with some old, more worn, colored towels! That said, this is a more aggressive procedure that is not recommended for every wash, but perhaps for the occasional maintenance of the towels once every few months or so.
Have you ever tried this purging technique?
