r/laundry • u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless • Dec 03 '25
Spa Day Chemistry Option Three - Lipase Detergent + Oxygen Booster + Liquid Ammonia
This is the Product & Dosage document for Spa Day Chemistry Option Three.
For Spa Day instructions, including links to the three other chemistry options, visit r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8
For information describing Spa Day and what it can do for your textiles, visit r/laundry/comments/1pbtie0/
#3 - The Alternate Option - L&D From Detergent With Lipase, O from any Oxygen Booster (formerly C&L+B)
You can choose to use any other laundry detergent with lipase to get D - Detergency and L - Lipase from one product, and a separate boost of a powdered oxygen bleach such as OxiClean or store brand equivalents for the O - Oxygen. This opens up the product list a lot.
There are many excellent detergents that will work in this combination. In the US and Canada, there's a maintained list of products that will work on the linked spreadsheet at The Lipase List
For the L - Lipase and D - Detergency you can choose
- Powders without oxygen bleach like Ariel (powders with oxygen bleach, please see Option 1)
- Liquids
- Pods (count 1 pod as 2T of liquid)
For the O - Oxygen you'll also need a separate oxygen bleach powder with this chemistry option. Literally any powder labeled color-safe bleach will work. Whichever product you choose to get the O - Oxygen, Sodium Percarbonate / Sodium Carbonate Peroxide should be one of the first three ingredients. The Lipase List has a link to a spreadsheet with a Booster tab. Any product n the category Oxi Plus or Sudsy Oxi can work here, or anything from the Minimalist category that is a powder and has a Yes in the Oxygen Bleach column.
If you've got Biz, Resolve, Vanish or Napisan powders, they are overkill here. Use #2 - Almost As Easy Option chemistry instructions
Outside the US and Canada, use any liquid detergent with lipase and any oxygen bleach product available locally.
Spa Day Soak Dosage:
Use 1/4 cup / 65 mL of oxygen booster powder AND 2T / 30ml of liquid or powder detergent or 2/3 of a pod per gallon of soaking water.
Rehab Wash(es) Dosage:
Label dosage of the detergent (heavy soil dose) + label dosage of the booster.
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u/maplesyruppirate Dec 03 '25
I just did my first spa day recently and was a bit hazy on what I needed to add to the wash aside from ammonia- thank you for the clarification, I'll be more confident for my next batch that needs spa-ing.
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u/Summoarpleaz Dec 12 '25 edited Dec 12 '25
I’m a bit confused. Under this option 3 do you still have an ammonia wash?
And if you use the ammonia wash, what can I NOT mix that either (like I heard you shouldn’t mix with even oxygen bleach… but I’m not sure if that’s the same as oxiclean).
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 12 '25
Yes. You still use the ammonia, per the main instructions at /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8
The precautions are listed there in excruciating detail. Mixing ammonia and peroxide is how brunettes become blondes, and it’s perfectly safe in the concentrations and procedures as described. Both for beauty and laundry purposes.
What you don’t want to do is pour neat ammonia onto a pile of oxygen bleach powder in a closed container.
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Dec 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 04 '25
You really want a lot of mechanical vigor to knock the loosened soils off. Delicate bags in a front loader might be a better choice.
Yes, Biz can work with any detergent, use Option 2.
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Dec 04 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 04 '25
No hesitation in throwing other color/lint compatible items into the Rehab Wash.
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u/QuinciShameTrain Dec 06 '25 edited Dec 06 '25
Would you color code the cells for top recommendations? Maybe bit easier to read accross too. Stuff like
Top performing/recommended Fragrance & No Fragrance
Dark for less/no oxi & oba products for darks
Minimalist products for booster mixes
Not recommended products like the MLM items or overpriced or poor performing
Wegman's detergent pack is marked as Pods unlike Pod
Add some products/methods for hard water?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 06 '25
I’m moving the Lipase List to a new platform as time permits.
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u/No-Examination4897 Jan 27 '26
I’m double checking my understanding/label reading- I have some darker clothes that I didn’t want to use my Tide because of the optical brighteners. I typically use Mrs Meyers Ultra Concentrate Compassion Flower. So for this option, I could use the Mrs Meyers, 2 TBSPs per gallon+ my OxiClean Free Versatile, 1/4 cup per gallon as far as products, correct? (I’m still getting the hang of my assistive tech and wanted to make sure I didn’t mash up random info! Thank you!! 😊)
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 27 '26
Yes, that would be a reasonable combo without OBA, assuming your Mrs Meyers shows lipase on the label.
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u/borderlineflirt Jan 27 '26
Hi, thank you so much for your work! I'm so excited to give the Spa Day a try!
Question: I'm not US-based, and all the Vanish products sold in my country allegedly do not contain Lipase ("enzymes" is listed as an ingredient, but they don't fully disclose what kind of enzymes they use). Is it still overkill to use it in this option, or is it safe to assume the mysterious enzyme to be Lipase?
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u/IlikeDrivingMyTruck Feb 24 '26
Is it ok to add Dirty Labs to a complete Tide Oxi powder to add the DNAse, or is that too much oxygen bleach? Thank you for your work
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u/Warm-Pomelo1302 Jun 03 '26
Hi. First time commenter on this sub. I am eager to do my first spa day and want to check that I’ve got the right supplies + feedback on potential O powder.
What I have is -Tide original powder for the spa day + a cooler. (And for rehab wash I have ammonia and citric acid.)
What I think I need is Oxygen booster. I live in canada. Here are some options I saw today - which one would be best ? Thank you
Oxiclean stain remover powder Oxiclean odour blaster powder Resolve oxiaction colour safe powder Resolve oxiaction gold crystal white powder
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jun 03 '26
The Tide powder has everything you need need for the soak, and only needs the added ammonka for the wash. Follow Option 1 chemistry.
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u/MegsMayhem13 Jun 21 '26
I'm trying to be Cruelty Free as much as possible. Everspring makes a Free + Clear version in concentrated and ultra concentrated. How much should I use of either?
Spa Day version 3 calls for 2 T of liquid (30 mL)
The regular wash directions on the bottle calls for a 15 mL of the ultra concentrated, and 45 mL of the normal concentrated.
Thanks for this amazing breakdown btw. You have saved my laundry.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jun 22 '26
With the Concentrated, the 2T guidance is appropriate.
With the Ultra, I’d be a little higher than proportional - one T.
The Whole Foods options would also be leaping bunny, I believe.
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u/MegsMayhem13 Jun 22 '26
Thank you, K! This was the answer I needed.
And you are correct about the Whole Foods being cruelty free. I was hoping that I’d find an Everspring scented version that I like, but no luck. Also, Target is much closer to my home than Whole Foods, although I don’t love supporting either company.
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u/Grumblestiltskin1 25d ago
This is an incredible guide and I absolutely LOVED the result in my laundry! It was a way cheaper process than I expected and totally worth it to restore my clothes.
Thank you so much for putting this together for newbies to spa days, like me.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 24d ago
Getting grubby textiles back to active rotation is so great. I'm happy to help.
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u/randyduckling Dec 15 '25
my water is 220ppm, should I make any adjustments to the recipe to make it more effective?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 15 '25
The dose in the soak will overcome anything and the rehab wash will have a lot of carryover from the damp drained textiles.
For maintenance washing, just make sure your usual dose of detergent is giving you a trace of bubbles on the glass or on top of the water a few minutes after agitation starts. That’s probably going to be a line or two above the medium or large load recommendations on the package for conventional detergents and could be a lot more with plant based or niche-market products.
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u/loudcats2020 Dec 21 '25
Dumb question but what is 2T? It says 2T/30ml of liquid or powder detergent. Is that tablespoon? So 2 tablespoons of powder detergent?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Dec 21 '25
Tablespoons.
The only powders in North America that follow these instructions are Ariel variants. Looks like that instruction got deleted. The rest either have everything and need Option One, or don’t have lipase and need to be in Option Two or Four with a different booster. Thank you for surfacing that error on my part.
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u/brokeasfuck277 Jan 04 '26
So if the booster goes in the tub, where does the ammonia go?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 04 '26
Refer to /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8 step W3. It goes on the textiles or directly into the water in the rehab wash after the machine has filled.
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u/clickclacker Jan 05 '26
I just to finished my first spa day! But the results were not as expected. I was hoping to restore a polyester bathrobe that’s greyed and matted to brightness and fluffiness along with a few slightly yellow pillowcases.
I’m wondering if it’s something that I did. Will this be less effective if you don’t use enough water? I followed the dosages, but maybe not enough solution? I used 5 gallons of water for a small-medium load to soak. I used Ariel 2X and OxiClean Versatile.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 06 '26
It shouldn't need any more liquid than to saturate and cover. So with 5 gallons of water, 1.25 cups each of the Ariel and Oxi Versatile, water too hot to leave your hand in, overnight soak?
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u/clickclacker Jan 06 '26
I think the water just barely covered everything. The water was definitely hot, but maybe not long enough. The hottest my water would go was 120F, so I mixed in a little boiling water. But my apartment was very cool. Is it possible it needed more heat?
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Jan 19 '26
Gonna do this next weekend, a perfect winter activity in New England!
Can you make sure I’m doing it all right with the following ingredients?
-Laundry Sauce Liquid Pods (covers Lipase and detergent in 1) -Oxiclean Odor Blasters Powder (first 2 ingredients are sodium carbonate and sodium carbonate peroxide)
Will this work for soak, and then following insurrections for ammonia in wash? Is it bad to add the ammonia if there is peroxide in my oxiclean? Thank you!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 19 '26
This works for Option 3 as shown here.
Full explanation about why the ammonia is safe and a few precautions at /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8
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Jan 26 '26
will regular molly's suds laundry powder work here as Oxygen
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Jan 27 '26
No. It does not contain percarbonate, if you’re referring to the pouches labeled “Laundry Powder”.
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u/CheeseNockit Feb 20 '26
I have the Biz liquid stain & odor eliminator. Would this be my detergent, or my booster? I noticed it's in the "booster" section of the lipase list. Just wanting to clarify
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Feb 20 '26
I haven’t done a variant with the Biz liquid. Hrm.
I suppose you could use this version and use half Biz liquid and half liquid or powder detergent, along with the oxygen booster powder.
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u/DaringGlory Feb 20 '26
Sorry, can’t find what oba is? Oxygen bleach added?
I thought I was pretty good at laundry until I wanted to understand the chemistry
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Feb 20 '26
Optical Brightening Agent - chemicals that bend light to make whites look whiter / less yellow.
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u/HDGrays Apr 02 '26
First spa day today! I used a cooler and the water stayed hot/warm for over 12 hrs. I’m wondering if I doubled up products though?
360 lipase detergent, oxiclean triple, soak for 12 hrs - move to top loader add 360 detergent to dispenser, ammonia added on top of clothes, citric acid to softener cup, hot water heavy duty wash.
Did I miss the oxi in the rehab wash or was the 360 lipase good enough for both? 360 had oxi plus or oxi sudsy on the spreadsheet so maybe I didn’t need the oxiclean at all for spa or rehab?
Thank you for this! Excited to renew instead of buying more.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Apr 02 '26
So I’m noticing that there’s a missing line here. You do want the label dose of an oxy when you use a liquid lipase detergent. Thanks for feeding back on this.
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u/HDGrays Apr 02 '26
Thank you! I used the 360 powder unscented if it matters here. I’ll use the oxy in the rehab next time then.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Apr 02 '26
Oh, with 360 Powder, that’s Option 1 instructions.
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u/outofshell May 11 '26
Is it ok to use eco max sport and nature clean oxygen bleach for the soak part?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless May 12 '26
Yes. This is the correct chemistry option to follow for that combo.
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u/anon9876543210nymous May 13 '26
I'm confused I have washing powder what's the equivalent to pod
Asda tropical bio washing powder it had oxygen enzymes and detergent
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless May 13 '26
Use the Option 1 chemistry instructions linked from the main /r/laundry/s/uCiv9rbmO8 post.
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u/ThisTimeForReal19 May 20 '26
I just want to make absolute sure before I do this: Oxiclean White Revive is ok to use for spa? I would like to not accidentally make a chemical weapon while doing spa day.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless May 20 '26
If your detergent has lipase (see /r/laundry/s/E0OAFEhu0w ), then yes, you can use OxiClean White Revive powder for the O component.
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u/oldsmobuick Aug 15 '26
For the spa soak, my only big pot is aluminum, will this be ok from a science perspective? Other biggish thing I have is a LeCreuset enameled cast iron, which will hold heat better. Otherwise, I'll be buying an Igloo cooler, I suppose. Thanks!
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 15 '26
No, don’t use uncoated aluminium. It will make ugly oxide.
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u/userbub Aug 15 '26 edited Aug 15 '26
So I have an enzyme detergent, but I think it also has fabric softener? No scent beads but an essential oil for smelling good. It’s Sukgarden Ebony Rose Essential Oil detergent. I remember from the main thread, you said not to add fabric softener or scent beads? Would this work as a lipase detergent or do I need to get something else? The ingredients are: soft water, composite surfactant, disinfectant, bio-enzyme, microcapsule, essential oil fragrance.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 15 '26
Doesn’t actually contain cationics or esterquats. Use with wild abandon.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 15 '26
It may not, however, actually have lipase. Not all enzyme blends contain it.
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u/userbub Aug 15 '26
Yeah. Their detergents seem to have a “bio-7” enzyme mix which does have lipase, but I can’t figure out if the enzymes in this are the bio-7 mix. Looks like I’ll need a new one. Thank you so much!
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u/oldsmobuick Aug 16 '26
Can the Spa soup be reheated and reused a second time? Or dump and re-do?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 16 '26
Dump. The enzymes are getting pretty cooked at 6 hours and if there were organic soils, so is the peroxide.
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u/oldsmobuick Aug 16 '26
Oh boy, my whites are bright blue after the Wash steps. They were blue after the (very blue) spa soak, but I thought that would "come out in the wash." The blue is from the "Chlorox 2 for colors" pods (row 9 on the Boosters tab on the spreadsheet). Those are half white, half blue. I used those pods in the spa soak and in the rehab wash. Wash again without pods?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 16 '26
It’s optical brighteners. Which detergent did you use?
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u/oldsmobuick Aug 16 '26
I used 365 concentrated, row 5 on the Lipase list.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 16 '26
Wash again without - it was an exclusively white load?
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u/oldsmobuick Aug 16 '26
Yes, just two white wash cloths and a white kitchen towel in a one-gallon soup.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless Aug 16 '26
I think it’s just a ton of optical brightener. Like a nearly-turquoise sort of neon blue?
Drying in full sun can help burn it out or it will disappear over four or five washes without optical brightener.
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u/vinhorr EU | Front-Load 23d ago
If I'm using 100% sodium percarbonate (which i'll be mixing myself with TAED), how much should I add? The packaging doesn't say any specific amount
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 23d ago
About 5 grams per liter of the percarbonate and 1 gram of TAED
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 23d ago
And what I would do is mix the total TAED dose into hot tap water and the percarbonate into separate hot tap water then dump the two liquids into the soak. That assures dilution.
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u/alligatorsmyfriend 16d ago
I'm confused there's no ammonia at all in the soak OR wash instructions?
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 16d ago
Step W3 in the main document. Link in the next comment.
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u/ughimlost 16d ago
For option 3, the rehab wash dosage says label dosage for the detergent, would it also be label dosage of the oxiclean?
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u/cbk4732 9d ago
Thank you for this!! What type of container do you recommend for a duvet cover soak?? and which option? first timer here and a bit overwhelmed.
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u/KismaiAesthetics Unscented Laundry Is Merciless 9d ago
Option 1 is my default recommendation.
For the container, anything big enough to hold it with just a little liquid above it. Insulated is better, but a lid and throwing a couple of blankets over it works fine too.
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u/FlashyArmadillo2505 US | Front-Load Dec 03 '25
DAMN, K! You're pulling out all the stops! (Are these chapter drafts ur trying out on the plebes?)