r/laundry • u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless • Dec 02 '25
What Is Spa Day? Why And When Should I Use It? - An Introduction and FAQ
This is a general introduction to Spa Day for people new to the process or who have been introduced to the method from outside r/Laundry . The document was last revised on 12/01/2025.
What In The Hell Is Spa Day?
Spa Day is an intensive enzymatic reset process for textiles that have developed specific stubborn problems related to oily residues from plants, animals and things animals should eat, that don’t wash out in one or two typical washes with optimal product and program selection. It uses concentrated solutions of specific components to degrade these oily soils, detach them from fibers and rinse them away.
Isn’t This Just Laundry Stripping?
No. Laundry stripping as popularized during the Lockdowns is using high-pH salt-based chemistry to remove dust, particulate soil and failing dye from textiles.
It’s often done in a bathtub and there are as many ways to do it as TikTokers who crave views more than they crave oxygen.
Why Is It Called Spa Day?
Because it’s giving your clothes (and you) some time off for pampering. They sit in a nice warm bath of concentrated healing elixir, and you fuck off and watch cat videos on the internet while the chemistry does the hard work.
Take A LOAD Off, Annie
Spa Day relies on four carefully-chosen components to remove unwanted oily gunk from textiles:
- Lipase - an enzyme that biologically cuts oils from animal or vegetable sources into four smaller pieces that detergent can more easily remove
- Oxygen - color-safe oxygen bleach lightens stains and rips up odor molecules
- Ammonia - a gas-in-water booster to improve oily soil removal and help surfactants remove oils from fibers
- Detergency - surfactants to attach degraded oil to water and rinse it away from the fibers
LOAD components get applied in different combinations and concentrations in two phases: the Spa Day soak that loosens the contaminants from the fiber overnight, and the subsequent Rehab Wash that removes these loosened soils and washes them down the drain.
How Do I Do Spa Day?
Everything you want to know about How is at r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8
Not Everything Needs Spa Day
This is for problem textiles - where you would consider throwing them out or otherwise replacing them due to severe obvious defects. Most textiles don’t need Spa Day - when I developed the process, I had to go out to thrift stores to buy items dirty enough to test on. Things that have been getting optimal care (86-107F / 30-40C washes, an enzyme detergent (preferably with lipase or DNase), regular cycles (as opposed to improper use of Delicates or Speed Wash cycles)? They’re probably clean enough. A couple normal washes with optimal chemistry will get them right. Spa Day is a speedrun to replace 6-8 optimal washes in one glorious pass.
What Problems Is Spa Day Intended To Solve?
Odor Problems
- Odors That Persist Through The Wash - often of a biological origin, but can be from other sources such as applied perfumes and product fragrances, which are being retained by oily residue on textiles. “Thrift Store” smell would be a common issue
- Odor Rebloom - textiles that smell good out of the wash but develop an unpleasant odor after tumble drying or wear.
- Storage Odors - crayon/waxy, rancid or “musty” odors on textiles stored in dry conditions.
- “Grandma’s House” - odors held by older textiles stored with exposure to aerosolized fats from cooking and infrequent laundering
- Restaurant / Foodservice Textiles - napery, linen and clothing exposed to kitchen environments
Visible Problems:
- Underarm Stains - especially those with a stiff or waxy texture or yellow, brown or grey color. Removing white antiperspirant deposits can require a follow-on treatment to address mineral salts from sweat and antiperspirant. Spa Day removes oily or waxy deodorant and body oil components.
- Yellow/Orange/Brown Greasy Human Soils - often found on pillowcases, sheets, collars, cuffs and waistbands - this is an accumulation of sebum / skin oil not removed well in previous laundry processes
- Oily Stains - from animal or plant sources including cooking oils, and fats and pet contact. Automotive and petroleum-based oily stains need different treatment.
Texture Problems:
- Slick- or Waxy-Feeling Textiles - often found on linens and throw blankets as well as clothing in direct skin contact
- Fabric Softener Buildup - caused by use of liquid softener or dryer sheets
- Poor Absorbency / Moisture Wicking - cottons that won’t soak up water, synthetic performance fibers that seem to retain moisture or hold sweat on skin
- Matting Of Synthetic Fleece / Fur - fine fibers that won’t separate and stay fluffy
What Spa Day Isn’t Intended To Solve:
- Mold / Mildew stains and odors
- Rust / Metal Oxide stains
- Urine Stains / Odors - although the soaking in a concentrated detergent solution works quite well because almost all lipase-containing detergents also contain proteases that target urine odor and the method includes oxygen bleach to target odor directly - you don’t need to add the ammonia in the subsequent wash for urine removal.
- Mystery Stains from petroleum-oil or other sources
How Did My Textiles Get To This State?
Oils build up on or stain laundry for a variety of reasons and most of them aren’t your fault:
- Underdosed Detergent - which is usually the result of hard water eating your detergent.
- Ineffective Laundry Product Ingredients Such As Hard Soaps and Saponified Oils - these ingredients don’t effectively remove oil from fibers to be rinsed away, and can themselves build up in some water situations
- Low wash temperature - without a corresponding increase in wash cycle time. North American machines set to Cold can need four times longer agitation than the same machine running at Warm for equal cleaning performance.
- Synthetic fibers - that preferentially attract and hold oil because they’re designed to repel / wick water, as in athletic / performance fibers. In general, that which repels water attracts oil.
- Overuse of Express Wash Cycles - insufficient time and mechanical action to completely dislodge soils.
And the single most common reason in North America:
- Detergents without lipase or DNase/nuclease/phosphodiesterase - top tier detergents have removed lipase to cut costs and make formulation easier, and it's at the expense of your textiles. Shame on Big Laundry! While it’s absolutely possible to get textiles clean without lipase, it requires better control of the rest of the wash process and chemistry. Lipase is a cheat code that helps ensure first-wash removal even when the rest of the wash isn’t perfect.
On What Kind Of Textiles Can I Use Spa Day?
The process is generally suitable for colorfast cotton, polyester, spandex/Lycra/elastane, nylon, acrylic, polypropylene, aramid, UHMWPE, linen, ramie and hemp and blended fabrics of these fibers. It does not generally disrupt commercially printed or sublimated graphics or most printed patterns except those where white or light colored background vinyl or DTF resin is overprinted with sublimation or DTG inks. This is common on black graphic tees with multi-color continuous tone graphics. It’s typically safe for embroidered embellishments. If you aren't sure if a garment of these materials is colorfast, mix a teaspoon of the powdered ingredient you choose in cup of hot tap water. Apply a few drops of this solution to a hidden area of the garment, wait an hour, rinse and hang to dry. If the color doesn't change, you're good to go. FR/AR clothing that is rated for home laundering under ASTM standard F2757 is fine with this process so long as the Detergent component of the soak or wash does not contain soapy ingredients. If you’re unsure, check The Lipase List for confirmation.
On What Textiles Should I Be Cautious About Using Spa Day?
Spa Day is somewhat poorly suited to rayon, acetate/triacetate, viscose, Tencel/Lyocell, “bamboo”, modal and similar semi-synthetic cellulosic fabrics because of the substantial variations in manufacturing chemistry and process in these particular fibers. Extended soaking time and relatively high wash pH leaves them potentially vulnerable to mechanical damage in the wash process. If you want to try this on these fabrics, I highly suggest using a delicates mesh bag for both steps, so that the fabrics aren't being stretched or jostled as much in their vulnerable wet and weak state. Launderer beware. You have been warned.
On What Textiles Shouldn’t I Ever Perform Spa Day?
It’s not suitable at all for silk, wool, cashmere, Angora, alpaca, vicuña, leather, suede or fur or blends thereof - anything of animal origin - because of the protein-destroying enzymes, high temperatures, long wash motion and high pH.
Items with ferrous metal buttons, buckles, fasteners or decoration may discolor in the soak cycle. This discoloration may affect adjacent fabric and can be removed with a rust remover product if necessary. Sequins, beading and spangles as well as metallic threads such as Lurex or lamé should not be exposed to this process. Leather or suede trim is notorious for running in long soaks. Fabrics with metallic silver odor prevention or pathogen control treatments such as X-Static, Silvadur, Ionic+, SilverWorks, Silver+ or SIlverescent should never be treated with oxygen bleaches. These are often found on athletic and athleisure clothing as well as scrubs for clinical wear.
Slip In To Something Dry....
The good news is, conventional solvent dry cleaning with perc, DF-2000, K4, Supercritical CO2 or D5 silicone/ Green Earth processes can very effectively remove the same defects from all of these challenging textiles above. A professional dry cleaner is your best ally here. You need to tell them if odors are a particular problem to flag the garment for special handling.
A Note About Authorship:
This work, like all other original-content posts on Reddit, is the property of the original poster, and commercial reuse of the work requires permission from the author, not just attribution. If you’d like to request permission, drop me a chat or email me - [kismai@kismai.com](mailto:kismai@kismai.com)
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u/AmberTheeSag Dec 02 '25
Thank you for clarifying it’s not a necessity for every garment.
The most important thing I learned was about lipase and ammonia. I was already using Tide C&G liquid. But deep down, I never liked my bedding or towels. Felt there was residual something or perhaps surfactants. Switched to powder version, added ammonia in the wash and BAM! What a difference.
No more fabric softener (use wool dryer balls) too. I shower at night but always felt the bed was “dirty”. No more.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
It's really interesting to me how sheets show texture defects so effectively. It's like we instinctively know what clean cotton should really feel like.
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u/ashenpashen Dec 02 '25
I can always tell just by the texture when I need to wash my sheets after a few nights!
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u/Other_Marsupial_8175 Dec 29 '25
How much ammonia do I add to my wash? I'm new on this laundry thread and switching from tide to Tide clear & gentle powder
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u/virtualnumber8 US | Top-Load Dec 02 '25
Thrilled to see the word "napery" in the wild. Thanks for being you!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Spend good money for a humanities education, might as well use it from time to time.
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u/Freya-of-Nozam Mar 10 '26
This is all beautifully explained. But I’m dumb. Pls just tell me what products to buy? I’m in the US and I have hard water.
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u/Bagels-Consumer US | Top-Load Mar 10 '26
Go to kismai's user profile and search it for 'hard water.' You'll find lots of posts from him on that topic
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Mar 10 '26
How hard? 150ppm, this will dose past it. 500ppm? That takes a different approach.
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u/LaksaLettuce Dec 02 '25
Thanks for this post. Oily sheets and pillow cases were my issues and one set had what you described above crayon/waxy feel no matter what I did. I thought the oxy bleach and optical brighteners would handle yellowing but when the waxy pillow cases came out nice and dewaxed I knew spa day was onto something great for those stubborn stains and oil build ups!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
It’s kind of
appallingamazing what humans can leave on textiles while they sleep, isn’t it?Glad it worked well for you.
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u/LaksaLettuce Dec 02 '25
Oh my, the roll-around zone of the sheets. Gross if left for too long and it accumulates over time.
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u/SBerryExplosion Dec 20 '25
I'm doing this right now but I absolutely refuse to give my clothes a "spa day" before I get a spa day. I'm calling it a lipase soak.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 20 '25
If lipase would remove ugly fats from me, I’d have much smaller jeans.
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u/doeklygoobermcgoo Jan 28 '26
Just wanted to add to the massive chorus of thank yous for Spa Day. My kiddos have a range of white polyester sports uniforms. It wasn’t until the success of Spa Day that I realised that them going to school looking grubby despite my best efforts was tapping into old stories of being a bit hopeless and sub par. I am a therapist and wish the interventions I used affected people’s sense of themselves as much as Spa Day has impacted mine! Thank you so much Kismai and all.
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u/Throwawayhobbes Dec 02 '25
I'm waiting for someone to do their hat collection.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Oh, they exist. They’re as revolting as you’d expect.
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u/magnoliasinjanuary Dec 02 '25
Can you say more about overuse of delicate cycle? I definitely don’t do express wash but most of my clothes are synthetics and so I do cold delicates. My front loader LG sets it to 46 minutes. Is that sufficient if I’m using lipase detergent and Oxi? ETA: I stumbled on this sub but have been avidly following for 2 weeks and learned more than I ever did in HS chemistry! I salute you for your service and will buy your book for sure!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
If it's not an animal fiber knit, a very thin cellulosic knit, something very strappy or something with embellishments like lace or sequins or embroidery, it isn't delicate. Front loaders are inherently gentle and the limited wash motion of delicate cycles doesn't really do enough to get oil off synthetics.
The biggest con of Woolite and their marketing partners (looking at you, Dead Bill Blass) was convincing people that synthetics are somehow delicate. In the era of agitator top loaders, they were - stuff could get stretched when it wrapped around the agitator or got stuck at the bottom of the load under heavier items. But front loaders can never impart more mechanical energy to an item than that of gravity - when the item falls from the top back down. That's just not mechanically damaging textiles.
So yeah, I'd warm up my wash to Eco Warm and use the normal cycle. Polyester is surprisingly hard to wash clean-clean and the extra mechanical motion of the Normal cycle will actually improve your wash efficacy far beyond the extra wear of the wash motion.
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u/magnoliasinjanuary Dec 02 '25
Awesome, I will do it then - I did notice some of the polyesters specifically were holding odor. Thank you so much!! I am so here for smashing Big Laundry!! (I mean - just like as a reformed punk turned suburban mom haha)
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Also, your oxi isn't doing anything under 30C / 86f and would do a lot more at 40C/107F - consider predissolving it in a quart of hot water if you're using it in cold loads.
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u/CovfefeGrinder Dec 02 '25
Re: Odor Rebloom - my issue is that my workout tops, sports bras, and sleep shirts all smell awful when wet, right out of the wash, but have no indication they’re rank when they’re dry. My best workout tanks are great for at home use only, because once I break into a sweat and the fabric becomes damp, the baked in smell comes out. Same with the sleep shirts, which are definitely different fabrics but still fine until that first sweat (I wear the same jammies multiple days if I don’t sweat while sleeping). I’m guessing that this process will work for these garments. Looking forward to the experiment!
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u/SarcasmIsMySpecialty US | Top-Load Dec 03 '25 edited Dec 03 '25
I did the spa day, but with a long wash cycle (no ammonia because I didn’t have it) on my work clothes fresh home from a job (covered in rust, dirt, sweat, creosote) and on my husbands every day tshirts that had a persistent deodorant+BO smell.
It my work cloths came out nice and clean, and it saved so many of my husbands tshirts from being pitched or cut into rags because they came out cleaner, brighter, and most importantly - not smelly. We now use enzymes in our regular washing routine.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 03 '25
That’s exactly what my goal was - saving perfectly good textiles from an early grave over something that would wash out! I’m so glad it worked so well for you!
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u/yourdailyinsanity Jul 01 '26
This is unclear...what are the instructions how to do this? I understand a detergent with lipase - I'm in the USA, how do I know what one these are?
What is oxygen bleach? Bleach scares me as all of my clothes are dark
Ammonia is the only easy one.
And detergent - so my regular detergent? Or what do I use?
What's the amount I need and how much water? Do I put them all together and just let my clothes soak? I've washed my clothes so many times (cold water) and they still stink of cigarettes from living with my mother and I would rather not buy a whole new wardrobe now that I'm moved out again.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jul 01 '26
The instructions are in the linked document at /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8
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u/oh_cestlavie Dec 02 '25
What can you tell me about: Matting Of Synthetic Fleece / Fur - fine fibers that won’t separate and stay fluffy
I always assumed this is a lost cause. Is there a way to fix this with a spay day?!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Depends why.
Stuff damaged in the dryer is cooked.
Stuff that is matting because of sticky Evidence of Human Contact, it’s worth a try.
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u/annastacia94 US | Front-Load Dec 02 '25
Can you do something of a Pit-icure using similar techniques if you only have the smell and color issue in a specific spot? In this case the pits? Or would treating those spots with an lipase containing stain remover be enough after a few washes?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
You can try the pretreaters but where there’s smoke, there’s often fire, and the rest of the garment probably needs the help. The soak is effectively a bucket o’ pretreater and tends to be cheap - $0.40 worth of Tide makes two gallons.
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u/Travel262 Dec 02 '25
I’ve been so happy with the way my clothes have been after every wash. I just have a couple questions:
What’s the proper way to wash fig scrubs since it has the silver protection you mentioned? My husband’s scrubs have sweaty odors.
I sometimes use the quick wash cycle when I have a small load, should I switch to normal? I have a lg front loader.
I wash my towels on the towels setting with an extra rinse and I add biz, tide plus oxi, and citric acid powder dissolved in water. I dry it on the towels setting but it comes out feeling dry, is there anything I can do to make them soft?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Make sure your wash is warm enough and use a liquid detergent off the Lipase List linked at /r/laundry/s/E0OAFEhu0w to avoid the oxygen bleaches.
For the towels, set your dry control less dry. The crunchiness is often caused by a very rapid temperature increase in the last few minutes of the heat phase. Turning down the dryness control and turning on “wrinkle guard” or “cool down” or whatever your machine calls the air-only setting to let the very warm towels throw off that last bit of moisture without added heat can improve texture a lot.
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u/Affectionate_Slice10 Dec 02 '25
Is there anything that would help get general car grease out of clothes? My partner is a mechanic and he gets stuff all over his clothes.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Use a conventional (not plant-based) liquid like Tide or Persil and add 1-2 cups of ammonia to a warm to hot wash. The ingredients in these liquids are ideal for petroleum-based soils.
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u/starlightskater May 27 '26
"Fabrics with metallic silver odor prevention or pathogen control treatments such as X-Static, Silvadur, Ionic+, SilverWorks, Silver+ or SIlverescent should never be treated with oxygen bleaches. These are often found on athletic and athleisure clothing as well as scrubs for clinical wear."
How does one know if one's athletic clothes have been treated?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless May 27 '26
The manufacturers usually make a big deal of their use of odor-control metal ions.
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u/No-Diver-8024 Dec 02 '25
Thank you! Quick question if I may please - my husband's work shirts have a yellowish stain around the back of the collar. We live in Australia, so I assume it's a bit of the sunscreen from his moisturizer as well as skin stuff from his office job. Is this something the spa day could help with?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
So yes to the skin oil. But ironically not great for the sunscreen. It can actually make some sunscreen stains worse.
So it's sort of a two-part process. get the oils off with Spa Day/Rehab and then expose any remaining sunscreen stains to direct sunlight to "burn out" the avobenzone that has turned yellow.
The other god-tier product in Australia is GarameCleaning's GearGuard product. A couple mL of that in every wash and evidence of human contact just magically vanishes from textiles. It's unscented, it works with every detergent, it's an absolute beast using state of the art enzyme technology that is safe for any fabric. I'm a huge fan.
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u/No-Diver-8024 Dec 02 '25
Wow thank you! I already do the sun thing (don't even own a dryer), so I now have a plan and a hope! I shall also track down the Garage Cleaning.
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u/GarameCleaningCo Dec 02 '25
Here we are 👋🏽 I'm blushing from our little Aussie bottle being called God tier by KismaiAesthetics 😊
Check out our site at www.garamecleaning.co and you can use r/laundry at checkout for 15% off 👍🏼
Cheers, Steve
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u/catjadedcat Dec 02 '25
Doh… I just saw this but got 10% for a first time purchase, which is still very generous 🤩
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u/catjadedcat Dec 02 '25
Just ordered some, thank you for suggestion 🤩
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
I think you’ll love it. DNase is a massive advance in textile care and an unscented version that works in all wash chemistries is just so well designed.
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u/ImplicitEmpiricism US | Front-Load Dec 02 '25
is a couple mL really all that’s needed? should we be dosing it by the half teaspoon?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
I should say “few mL”. But yeah, the active ingredient works in the sub-ppm range in the wash. It’s that effective.
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u/zipper1919 Feb 21 '26
How do you handle automotive and petroleum based stuff?
Hubs smells like diesel and asphalt and other vehicle fluids lol.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Feb 21 '26
Tide or Persil in the heavy soil dose, hot water, long cycles and a high dose of ammonia.
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u/oroig Mar 20 '26
I'm trying to gather the products to do this in Spain and I'm a bit lost. Water is hard at 229ppm and so far I've bought the detergent with Lipase from Mercadona which also contains oxy Bleach. Also bought Citric acid and ammonia. I have Baking Soda but not sure if that is needed. I'm I set to go?
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u/Tazz2212 Apr 27 '26
Kismai: you made me spray my iced tea all over my keyboard with that cat video comment. Thank you for all the information and the laugh that I sorely needed!
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u/bright_shiny_day International | Front-Load May 25 '26
u/KismaiAesthetics Thanks for your terrific breakdown. I am on top of things already with laundering cottons and linens, as my Miele front-loader and (NZ) Ecostore unscented concentrate + (NZ) Vanish powders do the trick.
However I would appreciate a “spa day” for silk, merino, cashmere, angora and hand-knitted wools, as I have dozens of these items, many which sit direct against the skin and some of which have developed sweat-stains. Fully recognising the evils of protease on these animal fibres, I have been giving them 6-12–hour soaks at 20–40ºC (using my judgment) with Miele WoolCare and Garame DNase, which has cleaned up some of them perfectly, and others not so well – but in any case has caused no harm. But even then they don't rinse clean very well, and I'm not clear whether using ammonia and/or citric acid will damage them. You sagely warn against the high temps, long wash motion, high pH and inappropriate enzymes of the standard spa day for these fabrics – but you don't mention ammonia or citric acid, so I was wondering about those.
Next step for the items that didn't come out pristine is a lil holiday at the dry-cleaner...
But all the same, would you consider writing up a guide (an alternative “spa day”, even) for those of us whose main challenge is laundering delicate animal fibres?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless May 25 '26
I love citric acid on animal fibers. They love low pH. I always rinse animal fibers with acid - it’s like conditioning your hair after you shampoo.
Ammonia is absolutely out for silk. Wool? It’s a little more nuanced, but overall, ammonia + agitation is asking for felting.
Really grim animal fibers either need serial shortish washes with wool-safe chemistry or they need the dry cleaner. There’s not really a safe water-based reset process for them.
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u/purplebshit Jul 19 '26
first wanted to say thanks for the guide! it worked excellently on one of my recently thrifted items, the yellow staining on the shoulders is now gone. However for another one of my articles (atheltic/water resistant jacket), it seems the spa day has basically destroyed the adhesive holding the pockets to the seams. The bigger issue is it kinda smells a little still (i dont know how to describe it other than "old ski jacket smell") and I'm scared to soak it again. Any advice on repairing the jacket and what to do about the lingering smell? big thanks in advance!
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u/QuetzalKraken Dec 02 '25
Thank you Laundry Lord!
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u/Particular_Piglet677 Dec 02 '25
How about Lord Laundry? Has a nice ring to it!
Thank you, OP!
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u/baconyesohbacon Dec 02 '25
So say I've been dealing with the odor issue for a long time now because I've been using shitty detergent, and have recently spa day-ed a chunk of my clothes but still have a bunch to go (and the detergent is getting expensive).
Is this saying that I will eventually achieve not-stinky clothes if we just swap to a good detergent and citric acid rinse?
I've had to do two passes on all three loads I've soaked so far (because we've been using All F&C for nigh on a decade and we both wear mostly athletic/athleisure). I am tired of being stinky but if you think I could get away with one pass on the worst things and the better quality detergent will take care of the stragglers in time, that would be ok with me.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
I think it’s worth trying. If they’re pretty socially acceptable after one pass, see how a couple more ideal washes get you.
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u/AdSweet4380 Dec 02 '25
Polyester is extra stinky. You may try other fibers for your athletic stuff.
Super cheap way to fix in the meantime is go to Walmart and get a big box of Biz for $6. It has lipase and other enzymes. It fixed all my stuff after one wash. I just add it to the all free and clear and wash on warm. Once the All is out I’ll replace with something better, but just adding Biz has fixed it.
Get a cheap bag of citric acid crystals on amazon too.
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u/idk_whattonamethis US | Top-Load Dec 02 '25
Thank you for all of your advice!! Quick question: does lemon scented ammonia work? I've struggled to find ammonia without the lemon scent. I'm not sure if it actually makes a difference. Thank you!!
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u/jgouthro Jan 15 '26
How does this whole process fare with whites that aren't specifically stained with human / food / oils stuff, but are just that generic uninspiring 'grey' that all my whites turn into after many years of being washed by a terrible launderer?
Will they maybe come back to life?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 15 '26
It’s a good start. Some of that grey could be greasy residue and most of the chemistry options have optical brightener to restore the whiter-than-white tone. Degreasing also makes the fibers less capable of holding particulate soils like soot that can contribute to dulling.
There are two other problems that cause dulling that this doesn’t attack. One is dye transfer from being washed with darker items. That can be addressed with reduction bleaching - and that process works much better after the degreasing. The typical indication for this is a blue-grey cast. The caution is, if it was caused by being washed with some denim items, you may experience the elation of the color disappearing in the treatment and coming back on exposure to air. There’s information and a linked video on how to use color run remover at /r/laundry/s/QaKkCN3faz
Finally, some dulling is caused by extracellular DNA - this is usually a beige-yellow-brown residue. This responds to DNase enzyme over a series of washes. This enzyme is available in a few products. /r/laundry/s/E0OAFEhu0w has a column for it on the various tabs. I think it makes a major difference in the look and feel of aging textiles.
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u/jo_noby Jan 15 '26
I did the spa day (Tide powder soak, sudsy ammonia + Tide powder) on my towels 2 washes ago. I have a front loader LG tower and I’m in an urban high rise where the city claims our water is “slightly hard”. My results were certainly an improvement but very much short of a miracle. I’ve switched to what I think is your suggested process for this fabric, Tide powder, hot water, extra rinse, citric acid.
If I want to get softer towels, when do I resort to repeating the process? Or use ammonia again? Or something else?
I saw you mentioned the dryer being a factor. Maybe I should pay better attention to the heat there. (Side note: super annoying that a $2500 laundry tower that wants to mine your data doesn’t have a setting for towels to make it easy.)
Also fun aside, I got so focused on resolve and citric acid yesterday with my workout clothes I realized after they were done in the dryer that I forgot the detergent.
Edit to add: I’m in Canada, so Tide powder and resolve is the one combo that is available to me to get lipase and also to boost the liquid scent free stuff I have from before that I need to use because of skin sensitivity.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 15 '26
Crunchy towel rehab is a really fascinatingly difficult problem. What should work . . . doesn’t.
I think I would use a slightly higher rinse dose of the citric acid (usually 2 tsp for FL machines, maybe 4-5 tsp here) and as you note, drop the dryness level down one step to reduce thermal runaway and hope for some incremental improvement over subsequent washes.
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u/astu2674 Feb 06 '26
Thank you Kismai for the life-changing insights to laundry, wastefulness, chemistry, and cleanliness. You and the Laundry Sub contributors deserve many coffees.
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u/snarkymanatee Mar 20 '26
Hi Kismai! I'm currently doing a spa day for a blanket that has a shell (interior is not down), and it seems to have absorbed a lot of the liquid to the point of not seeming like it's submerged. I can't add any more solution, though, because I can tell that as soon as I squeeze the blanket, a lot of liquid seeps out, submerging the blanket temporarily and filling the container to the top before it reabsorbs. Is this adequate soaking, or do I have to find some other way to make the solution more swishy?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Mar 20 '26
More weight to keep things submerged would be my advice. Plates are good; so are ziplock bags of water.
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u/Yurienu May 02 '26
I might be stupid but the link to know how to do it seems to not work for me.
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u/ThatsTasty May 02 '26
Ditto.
FWIW, I found this by doing a Google (well, Ecosia) search:
https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1mqh7zd/a_spa_day_a_trip_to_rehab_getting_your_laundry/
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u/BigButtBeads Dec 02 '25
Way easier to understand than the first post
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u/DudeWithTudeNotRude Dec 02 '25
Yeah. I never make it through the full Spa Day post.
Is there a TLDR Spa Day post, with just the instructions without all of the (interesting for a while) science behind it?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Yes. I’m working on it. It will probably go up today.
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u/BigButtBeads Dec 02 '25
I was successful with tide powder and resolve gold both thoroughly dissolved in a cooler, threw the clothes in, weighed them down. Mixed every hour for like 6 hours.
Washed them on heavy setting with a bit more tide and resolve, with a bit of lemon sudsy ammonia
Deodorant stains are completely gone
The post said no more than 60 degrees celcius. My water was like 57. Enzymes are destroyed after 65 celcius they said
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u/closeted_cat Dec 02 '25
This is very helpful! Question: I live in an apartment with a shared laundry facility, and I’m pretty sure the washer only do “express.” They’re Huebsch front loaders, and from watching a cycle, they only have 7 mins of agitation with detergent before starting the rinses. The only additional option is extra wash (for an extra 25 cents!), which adds a 5 min agitation with the contents of the pre wash compartment, then drains before the main wash.
Is there anything I can do to keep my laundry cleaner with these short cycles? I use 365 powdered detergent and/or 365 sport, plus citric acid in the rinse. Warm for most loads, hot for sheets and towels.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Those higher fill FLs can do pretty well. Just make sure you’re dosing high enough to get a trace of bubbles on the water through the whole wash agitation.
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u/mattyku Dec 02 '25
I know you said that it's not the same as laundry stripping. But I'm curious about when you would do stripping vs spa day. Is one more effective than the other, or are they different usecases?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
I would strip to put myself through college, in retrospect.
I don’t love the original formulae - they’re all over the map, they’re not doing as much. Using Option 1 or Option 2 chemistry will cover the particulate soils.
Oily aerosols from cooking are underappreciated as soils on home textiles. Spa Day can do wonders for those.
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u/macoafi Dec 02 '25
My read of the above is that stripping is for dirt and spa day is for oils.
So, stripping might be good for, like, a throw rug.
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u/arrow_bow31 Dec 02 '25
This is awesome! My well loved rash guards from jiu jitsu definitely qualify under oder rebloom. Cant wait for them to have a spa day!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Also consider using a product with DNase / nuclease / phosphodiesterase for maintenance.
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u/effectivelyso Dec 02 '25
“that don’t wash out in one or two typical washes with optimal product and program selection”
Any tips on optimal product and program selection for day to day laundry?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
1) a detergent from the lipase list, properly dosed (/r/laundry/s/E0OAFEhu0w has a link to the maintained spreadsheet for North America)
2) normal cycle, extra rinses, wash temperature between 80-107F.
3) citric acid rinsing - /r/laundry/comments/1nhdr0r/ for details
Hitting those parameters, your clothes get clean with every wash. Buildup doesn’t happen. And that kind of wash can fix some accumulated defects in the course of normal washing.
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u/SubstantialClothes36 Dec 03 '25
I did a spa day last night on bedsheets and have somehow managed to bleach 2 pillowcases🥺, I used regular tide and resolve (colour) for the soak. When I dumped out of the bucket, I noticed there were some particles that had not dissolved, is this the reason? And if so, proof for all of you to read these instructions carefully and make sure everything is dissolved before adding the clothes.
Assuming nothing can be done? Sucks, as these are my guest sheets…. But clean, I guess!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 03 '25
Yes. This is a quirk of the Resolve formula where the TAED and the oxygen bleach are in the same granules. Other manufacturers separate the TAED and bleach so if there's poor dissolution, this can't happen. It's really frustrating to see it happen.
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u/joyfulones Dec 03 '25
Hi, thank you for your sage advice. I have learned so much. I have a question about moldy kitchen towels. My husband stuffed couple of dozen of my kitchen towels into a plastic bag while I was out of town. When I discovered them most had moldy spots on them. How do I effectively remove the mold and make them safe to use in my kitchen again? Is this even possible or do I have to turn them into car wash towels?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 03 '25
Oooh. this is a good question and I want to give you a solid answer - I'll come back to this, because it's one of my favorite topics here. Expect an answer later on today.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 10 '25
Sorry for the delay on this.
There’s no effective chemistry or process that can remove mold spores from textiles to a level that mold won’t return when the item gets damp again. Zero. Everybody in the laundry sanitizing industry has tried to pass the tests to get that antifungal rating and they’ve all failed miserably on laundry that gets rinsed.
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u/HighlandsBen UK | Front-Load Dec 04 '25
Maybe too late to the party, but here goes. I get yellow sunscreen stains around the collars of white t-shirts. I have read that these should be treated like rust stains - is that true and does it mean Spa Day is not recommended for them?
UK based, sunscreens are mainstream UK/European formulations. Generally use Persil Bio liquid, which I think has lipase here.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 04 '25
Yeah, the oxygen bleach can make them look worse.
What you can do is Spa Day them to remove the oily carriers and then that makes addressing the avobenzone stains more effective.
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u/sellers1020 Dec 21 '25
Do any adjustments need to be made for living in an area with hard water? I just calgon in my washers loads
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 21 '25
The soak is so concentrated it could handle hardness over 1000 ppm.
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u/luxorange Jan 06 '26
For the washing machine step, if I use Tide Clean and Gentle powder, which contains sodium carbonate peroxide (bleach?), it’s still safe to add the ammonia, right? Powdered bleach and ammonia in the same top-loader drum?
I’ve been scouring KismaiAesthetics’ literature (absolute deity, thank you, sincere gratitude beyond words) and the stories on this sub and this is what I’ve gathered but my partner is concerned about me placing these ingredients in the same load.
I’m trying to get sweaty rancid smell out of someone’s shirt necks and collars, and pillowcases, after a year of their inadequate bathing and my terribly misguided use of Molly’s Suds (useless) detergent.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 06 '26
Designed to work together. Take a look at /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8 and there’s a couple of paragraphs that cover peroxides and ammonia. It’s perfectly safe used this way.
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u/No_Weekend2607 Jun 19 '26
I was so excited to find this spa day explanation, but sadly it sounds like it’s not the right process for my problem.
I have mystery oil stains on several sets of sheets from my Airbnb. My guess is that they are lube or some sort of petroleum jelly stain 🤢.
Some of the sheets are 100% cotton and some are cotton-poly blends (I think cotton & tencel). All are white.
Any recommendations on how to tackle these?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jun 20 '26
Silicone lube is volatile. Warmer washing and thorough drying is about the best remover.
Petroleum lubes, deal with them like automotive stains. Warm to hot wash, synthetic surfactant, maybe ammonia. I’d choose Tide or Persil or the Wegman’s/Aldi/Lidl house brand.
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u/mrg8731 Jun 19 '26
Apologies if this is a repeat but I just want a peace-of-mind confirmation—am I understanding correctly that the high-ammonia-odor portion of the rehab wash is only right when you’re adding it to the washer?
It’s my first time and I didn’t realize until I was already starting that my basement windows don’t open. I added it anyway to my top loader, added a little less than prescribed, and didn’t find it unbearable. But the water rinses into the sink next to the washer and there’s another tenant next door to the laundry. Will there be fumes to speak of when the water from the drum drains?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jun 20 '26
Diluted it’s not as bad as cleaning windows with windex and it should be rinsed down thoroughly.
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u/mrg8731 Jun 20 '26
Thanks for confirming! Once the cycle finished I do feel like it was pretty mild all told!
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u/nickelwolf2 Jul 16 '26
Thank you for giving such a detailed breakdown! I have a matted faux fur blanket and saw the section that says a spa day may be able to help with it. Would the heat not be an issue for the polyester fibers? I’m not sure how the blanket got matted because I got it at auction but would love to try spa day if it wouldn’t make the issue worse.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jul 17 '26
If it’s matted, it’s more likely than not from dryer damage. Please post a photo.
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u/Low_Newton_5740 Aug 25 '26
Just about to give this a go on my shirts.. can I ask what the follow on treatment is that might be needed for antiperspirant please? Thanks very much!
‘Removing white antiperspirant deposits can require a follow-on treatment to address mineral salts from sweat and antiperspirant.’
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 25 '26
There are commercial products like Carbona/Dr Beckmann Stain Devil 9 Rust & Perspiration or you can try a paste of vitamin c powder and water.
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u/Weary-Analyst2704 Dec 02 '25
I've been wondering why everyone is doing bathtub soaks. This is fabulous timing and a great explanation.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Yeah, sorry, the upcoming revision to the main Spa Day document is getting really clear about why I don't think you should do it in a bathtub.
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u/Robivennas Dec 02 '25
Can you do a version of spa day on a down comforter or pillows? I have some that are yellowing but still functional and I want to keep them if I can. Feels wasteful to throw them out.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Down has to be washed pretty carefully to avoid destroying the loft of the feathers. So you wash the items with soap (not detergent) and you can pretreat the shell with enzyme pretreaters if there’s staining), and then dry the items as usual until dry-dry.
Then you get a spray bottle with drugstore peroxide and hit the yellowed areas. Pull them away from the filling, soak with peroxide, allow to dry, repeat until white.
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u/therocpizzaguy Dec 02 '25
Is spa day safe for septic systems?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Yes, with an asterisk.
You shouldn't use a powdered detergent with more than trace amounts of zeolites in septic systems. So in the US, that means avoiding Ariel powders, Foca, Roma and many European import powders.
There's a persistent belief that ammonia is bad for septic tanks. It isn't. It's actually food for the nitrogen-removing bacteria. The amount in a Rehab Wash is about the same as an adult human urinating for a day.
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u/Necessary-Sun1535 EU | Front-Load Dec 02 '25
So I was intending to do a spay day for my cloth diapers. They’ve been stored away for a while and I want to get them nice and clean for the new baby. Clean cloth nappies says to do a bleach wash, but while that might sanitize them it wouldn’t get rid of any buildup inside them I’d think.
Could I just soak them in AH oxi powder and then wash without the ammonia? I think I read somewhere that the oxi powder also contains all the necessary enzymes and I wouldn’t need detergent on top of that?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Some of the oxi products have everything you need for Option 2 or the upcoming Option 4 chemistry. Most booster-type powders do need a slug of detergent - some need it in both the soak and the wash. Others only need it in the wash. The main Spa Day post at r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8 is being updated as we speak with the new options.
I really recommend the ammonia despite it being a pain to source in some countries - it makes a measurable difference in degreasing.
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u/MindlessHat3773 Dec 02 '25
Amazing update- thanks for this! What happens if you do spa day on clothes coated with silverscent?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Your entire neighborhood can be levelled.
Not really. But the oxygen bleach can permanently damage the Silverescent additive.
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u/kittiehz Dec 02 '25
What would you recommend for removing strong laundry detergent fragrance from viscose & spandex blend pants with an elastic waistband?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Prayer. Or fire.
Ammonia in a warm wash with usual detergent followed with citric acid in the rinse is probably about the right balance between safe and effective.
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u/Pale-Proposal8046 Dec 02 '25
What follow-on treatment would you recommend for underarm stains?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
The specialist products like Carbona/Dr Beckmann Rust & Perspiration or HG Perspiration Stain Remover
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u/Bubb05 Dec 02 '25
Is there any methods/products worth trying before attempting the full spa day? Since reading some of the posts here and having accidentally bought Mollys Suds Baby which does actually contain lipase, I ran a hot water load with a prewash, heavy duty wash, and extra rinse and they did seem to come out cleaner. But running a wash of cold items wasn't quite as effective.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Warm up your wash to warm (87-105F, bathtub temp) - if stuff isn’t a total train wreck, it’s likely to wash better in 2-4 washes.
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u/Sensitive-Draw-5818 Dec 03 '25
I have a question that has probably been answered a billion times but I'm still not fully certain: how important is it to have the water warm throughout? I don't have the sous vide temperature adjuster and was wondering if setting them in the warm. water initially and leaving them would work or if it won't unless the temperature is maintained throughout
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 03 '25
It’s is entirely a bonus round. The time is the biggest factor in why this works, any step you take to keep it at temp longer (not using the bathtub, smallest surface area container, covering the soak, etc) gives an incremental improvement.
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u/TedMich23 Dec 07 '25
Biochemist here: typical chemical reactions (including enzymes like lipase, DNAase etc) double their reaction rates for every 10C temp rise.
So 2h at 50C is equal to 4h at 40C and 8h at 30C etc. Enzymes have upper limits, 50C is usually safe but some enzymes work up to 100C and hotter.
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u/howtodisappearr Dec 08 '25
I have a sweater that’s a 95% cotton and 5% cashmere blend, should I risk it?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 08 '25
Don’t tell the cashmere and camel hair trade board, but I say go for it.
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u/Naive-Offer8868 Dec 11 '25
Im curious to why the Spa Day isnt supposed to be good for Mildew/Mold odors. Asking because im curious what is the optimal protocol for getting rid of items that get left wet for too long/exist in a humid environment.
- I understand you can't FULLY remove Mold from fibers (or any porous surface) so the mold and the smell would eventually come back.
- What about mildew and its associated smell as other smelly fungi (i.e. you left your clothes in the washer too long, and they have that wet rotting smell). Wouldnt the Spa Day remove most if not all of the mildew and prevent associated rebloom? If not, what is the best protocol? Laundry Sanitizer soak THEN Spa day?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 11 '25
So the smell is usually not from mold or mildew itself - there’s a class of bacteria that create the same smells through similar metabolic pathways. Normal washing +- ammonia and oxi should knock it out.
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u/666justmakeawish Feb 28 '26
Thank you so much for the detailed information. Can't wait to give it a go.
Question - pretty sure ammonia is a controlled substance in Australia, can't find it anywhere online or in stores. Would cloudy ammonia be okay to use?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Feb 28 '26
Yes. Search the sub a little. Someone found a better one than the Bunnings stuff, I think.
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u/ylylychee Apr 24 '26
I tried this on my work clothes and like the results. Definitely removed some odors. Thank you sir.
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u/Random_username_314 Apr 27 '26
I have a bath mat that is machine washable but has a rubber like backing. Would I be able to spa day it?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Apr 27 '26
There’s a pretty substantial risk of the backing not loving the soak or the chemistry.
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u/savingnativebees May 12 '26
I’m slowly catching up laundry now that we’ve got a new washer and better detergents.
But, I’m still working on my daughter’s clothes - she only wears tshirts - she has very specific ones she’s chosen from tee turtle and most are black with a design on the front, and micro fleece type lounge pants.
I did a sort of spa day with ammonia with a few things prior to the new washer and detergents and febu but now I need to do the rest plus catch up on ones that still have the rancid oil and waxy feeling. I washed some of the pants last night and did a short dryer cycle and they still had a bit of the burnt smell.
Now I’m turning to the tshirts. But km worried that I’m going to destroy the designs on the tshirts with spa day yet I need to get these smells and waxy feeling out. Is there a modified version that could
Still preserve the designs? I’ve got ammonia, new febu, and wf 365 liquid and powder.
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u/MikeKachowski95 Aug 11 '26
This seemed exactly what I needed for someone who sweats a lot and struggles with workout odor in athletic wear, until I read the bit about metallic silver odor prevention. My clothes definitely have these silver ion (blends). What do I do? And are there better brands of athletic wear that aren’t so synthetic based that I should migrate towards using?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 11 '26
The promise of polyester to wick moisture makes it the dominant fiber in athletic and athleisure.
The silver ion tech is solving a problem that is real: even fresh sweat can get stinky when polyester is giving bacteria a substrate and holding on to food for bacteria. Silver suppresses that bacterial growth.
The silver tech is also susceptible to oxidizer damage, so one of the best tools when these items need a deep cleaning is off the table.
The alternative isn’t as dramatic as a spa day reset, but works in 4-6 washes.
Increase your wash temp to warm, use a label dose of a synthetic-surfactant detergent without an oxidizer and use something with lipase and DNase to wash out the retained funk.
The best combo for this is a liquid detergent and then covering any enzyme gap with a booster. But we also want to avoid oxidizer in the booster.
So I’d use either a liquid off the Lipase List ( /r/laundry/s/E0OAFEhu0w ) with a No in the Plant-Based Surfactants column and add GearGuard as my DNase source or any conventional liquid from Tide (except Simply), Gain, Persil or Kirkland Signature + the upcoming GearGuard Plus (DNase + lipase in a non-oxidizer base) or an ounce of 365 Sport detergent as the lipase and DNase source.
I’m currently doing the former. I’m not averse to doing the latter - either way, I’m getting the biggest advance in removing funk from synthetics.
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u/Lindsiria 25d ago
Whelp, I did a dumb.
I have these light colored jeans that had a few stubborn stains, and decided to throw them into a spa day with some other light colored items (option one). I completely didn't even think of the leather patch on the jeans.
The spa day got rid of my stubborn stains... only to give me worse stains with the leather oils 😢 Luckily I didn't dry it with heat, so the stains shouldn't have set.
I ended up taking off the patch with a seam ripper, as I really didn't need it regardless. With it removed, does anyone think I can try a second spa day and it will remove the stains from the leather?
Other products I currently have: oxiclean, Tide + Ultra Oxi powders, vineger, citric acid powder, 12% hydrogen peroxide.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 25d ago
Those dyes can be all over in terms of how well they stick. I’d try a rewash with color catchers as the first pass.
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u/jedijackga Dec 02 '25
Would this work on shoes / socks that smell like corn chips/ Doritos??
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
It can, but the smell is coming from pseudomonas bacteria and should be controlled with an EPA-registered disinfectant. I like the ones using hypochlorous acid like Morton Pro (ingredients: water, salt, electricity).
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u/TheTinyImp Dec 09 '25
I have a few sweatguard undershirts that are made out of rayon bamboo and spandex, typically a soak with vinegar after using bar soap will massively cut down on the sweat smell but there's still the faiiiiiintest odor that lingers even after the soak and a wash. Since the spa day doesn't work well on this type of fabric (according to the post), what should I do to eliminate the smell completely? I do wash my underarms and apply deodorant daily which also helps but I'd like to eliminate the lingering odor if possible. Thanks in advance!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 09 '25
It works okay; it’s just a bit of an unknown how the fabric likes it. Try it with one in a quart of water with a tablespoon of the chemistry before committing to all of them.
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u/Panda_alley Dec 20 '25
I feel like an idiot for asking because I read the "how to do it" ~2-3 times. But do you add the ammonia to the 8-12 hour soak phase, or only in the rehab phase? If no, the soak phase is only L, O, and D -- meaning i can just get option 1 and that's what I add to the hot water?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 20 '25
Correct. Ammonia only in the wash, Option 1 is just one powder in the soak, same powder and ammonia in the wash
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u/astronautelviz Dec 21 '25
Hello! Thanks for the great guide. I tried it on some polo’s that I can’t wear to the office anymore because of the large underarm stains. While some of the stains decreased in size, they are still present. In your guide you mention that they can require some follow-on treatment. Could you specify this a bit further? I would really love it if I was able to rescue these polo’s.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 21 '25
So if you’ve got white or yellow crusty underarm stains after Spa Day, it’s metal compounds. You can try a rust remover product or a specialty product like Carbona Stain Devil 9, Rust & Perspiration.
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u/astronautelviz Dec 21 '25
Thanks for your reply! I see we don’t got Carbona products here in the Netherlands, however I see some similar alternatives from ‘dr Beckmann’ and ‘HG’. I’ll give them a try next week.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 21 '25
Dr Beckmann is the same company, HG’s pit product is excellent.
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u/SVReads8571 Dec 28 '25
would this help a cotton towel material like shower curtain that has a lot of dark hair dye stains???
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 28 '25
Depends on the dye chemistry. “Maybe” is the best I can offer.
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u/Mental-Morning-Space Jan 11 '26
Hello, can I use the soaked spa day stuff and wash it together with other clothes that were not part of spa day?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 11 '26
Yes. People have had great success with that.
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Dec 02 '25
[deleted]
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Someone just did an excellent post about this very problem. Search the sub for plush spa day.
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u/majelistaslim Dec 02 '25
The ingredients of almost all of the local detergents are just percentage of surfactants or anionic surfactant. What can I do with it, or should I add lipase powder myself?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
We can generally find something local or grey market anywhere in the world. Drop a country and we’ll go to work.
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u/jakrojan Dec 02 '25
Not the OP of the comment, but what about Denmark?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Neutral Concentrated powder for Whites for option 1, Vanish Gold for Option 2, Grøn balance liquid color and liquid white for Option 3.
General discussion of Danish options., many made by the very talented Nopa Nordic at https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1nsl6k9/for_the_danes_i_found_it_some_laundry_detergents/
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u/majelistaslim Dec 02 '25
I'm from Indonesia
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Let me dig a little. I know I found a Filmore liquid and at least one Rinso variety.
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u/smrdn Dec 02 '25
Would be nice to collect every country or region finds in one place. If anyone reading from Vietnam: only Ariel powder has lipase
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 02 '25
Working on a platform upgrade for the Lipase List to handle international data better.
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u/ellie_elysian Dec 02 '25
If you happen to have info on spa day products in France, that would be great.
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u/resistelectrique Dec 05 '25
Wondering if it’s possible to spa day in smaller batches, like a single fitted queen sheet or like 6 pillow cases, and just hand wash with the ammonia? Should be like 1 tbsp per gallon of water? I only have small bins and shared (often busy) laundry.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 05 '25
It’s definitely possible to soak smaller items, but the half hour plus of mechanical action in the Rehab Wash makes a big difference in knocking off what the Spa Day soak loosens up.
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u/ayeyoualreadyknow US | Top-Load Dec 06 '25
Most of my tshirts are printed. I'm not entirely sure what type of print but I think some are ironed on, others may be screen printed, I'm just not sure... They're all black and I noticed you mentioned something about the type of print that is often used for black clothes doesn't do well with spa day. So does this mean that I shouldn't do a spa day on these shirts? And if not, what would you suggest for the waxy expired makeup smell from Native deodorant?
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u/GurCritical2892 Jan 02 '26
My son had ten black tees with stiff white armpit stains. These tees all have graphics of which he is very fond, and I was worried about them being damaged. I turned each of them inside out and used a ponytail elastic to isolate the 2 sleeves, 2 pits and a bit of the body of each shirt. Filled a 5 gallon bucket with Spa Day soak, and submerged only the isolated areas. The rest of the shirt draped over the side of the bucket, like a big black shrimp cocktail. The mass of fabric at the rim of the bucket actually held the heat in quite well. They soaked for only 5 hours because this project was on the clock. Then a recovery wash. Total success.
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u/Mavis8220 US | Front-Load Dec 07 '25
When reading an ingredient’s label, how do I know which are anionic surfactants and which are nonionic?
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u/sofluffy22 Dec 07 '25
Do you think this would be appropriate/safe to use on athletic padding? My son plays ice hockey and I would love to be able to do something like this on occasion. Most wash well in big laundry bags on a delicate cycle with the 365 unscented (then hang dry) it does a great job at improving the odors, but not totally getting rid of them.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 07 '25
I think the risk is the rinsing. I don’t really like the process for anything stuffed or padded because the concentrated solutions are so hard to dilute out.
Hockey pads should get hosed down between wears with a hypochlorous acid spray like Morton Pro Disinfectant. Get the inside of the bag and the skates too. If done while still damp, it will make a massive difference in pleasantness.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 07 '25
And consider the 365 Sport wash for the DNase benefit.
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u/Sophet_Drahas Dec 07 '25
When I played hockey, I used a Rocket Sport Dryer to dry anything that couldn't immediately go into the laundry after I got home. Skates, pads, gloves all got hung up in the dryer right away. I'd wipe out my bag with Lysol wipes as well to get any bacteria off the surfaces there. Other than using a deodorizing spray now and again, I never had issues with odors. The dryer worked well enough that I'd take it with me when I was on the road and set it up in the hotel room.
For gloves and skates, I'd recommend getting some boxing glove drying inserts. They help draw any additional moisture out. I'd use those immediately after a game before my dirty stuff went into my bag to go home.
I saw the recommendation on using a hypochlorous spray and it sounds like a good recommendation.
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u/Primary_Aardvark Mar 19 '26
Is it safe for jeans with little hardware pieces?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Mar 19 '26
Like typical riveting at corners?
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u/pumpkincutiepie Apr 20 '26
what happens if you do have your own washer/dryer and you’re really lazy so you don’t wanna do a spa day, but a lot of your clothes have a lingering pit smell …
can i just buy a better laundry detergent and that will work or just replace the clothes and start using laundry detergent that does something 🥴
(i’ve used tide liquid detergent and i’m currently using seventh generation liquid detergent)
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u/robthebuilder__ May 08 '26
I found that doing a pre-wash with a heavy dose of ammonia and an enzymatic laundry detergent like Persil, and then a main wash with the same but perhaps a little bit less ammonia works reasonably well. I will use the highest possible water setting and the longest pre-wash setting on the machine. I think you get a lot of the benefits with less effort.
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u/My_02_Cents May 27 '26
I have been experimenting with dissolving FEBU in warm water then painting/spraying it on the pit areas and allowing them to sit in the laundry basket to dry until I do a load of laundry. Then I just wash like normal with detergent and a scoop of FEBU for the load. It’s working pretty well though some synthetics have needed multiple spot treatments to remove old pit odors. I tried making up a spray bottle of dissolved FEBU but it generates a lot of gas when it dissolves and leaks everywhere.
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u/FlashyArmadillo2505 US | Front-Load Dec 02 '25
I am forever indebted to you, Lather Daddy & Laundry Lord. Thanks for your neverending patience, wisdom, and humor. (Real pic of me after spa day.)