Be honest: How often do you clean your towels or sheets? Even if you clean them every day, it turns out that’s not enough. Why? Because, apparently, throwing them into your washing machine and dryer isn’t enough to get them super clean.

So how are you supposed to get your towels or sheets clean? Introducing laundry stripping, a cleaning trend that’s gone viral on TikTok for good reason.

Laundry stripping is the process of soaking your laundry when you remove anything from detergent residue to water minerals to body oils that that end up on your towels or sheets (or even clothes, too). You’d be surprised how much grime these items pick up over time, even after loads of laundry.

Laundry stripping has been around for years and years—well before washers and dryers were even a thing. But it’s not a standard practice that most people use in their homes in this day and age. That’s why we’re all so amused by it. In fact, countless TikTok users are sharing their laundry stripping experiences and continue to be amazed by how murky the water is afterward.

The process of laundry stripping may take a bit longer than simply tossing a load of laundry into the washing machine, but after you see the videos on how much yuckiness will be removed, you’re going to want to try it, Trust us.

Here’s how it works: Fill your entire bathtub with hot water (you can also do this in a sink or large bucket, but you may need to do it in a few loads). Then add the following in a 1:1:2 ratio: Borax, washing soda (sodium carbonate), and laundry detergent. Make sure to stir the water until everything dissolves.

Now the fun part comes in: Throw in the towel(s)—literally! Or sheets or clothing or whatever you need to be stripped. You’ll want to leave the items soaking for up to four hours with the occasional stirring here or there.

When you come back, don’t be shocked by the murky brown waters the items will leave behind Consider them officially laundry stripped! You’ll just want to put the items through a rinse-only cycle in your washer and tumble dry without dryer sheets. The result: Towels and sheets like new!

“If you have a lot of towels or sheets that need help, this is a good way to tackle them quickly. Then make sure to follow good laundering habits afterward, so you don’t have to do it again!” says Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab Director Carolyn Forte.

To see it done in full, check out the original TikTok poster, who laundry strips her towels below:

@mrslaurenelmsWho’s here for the towel stripping? ♀️ ##laundry ##cleanfreak ##laundrymagic ##laundrystripping ##tide ##borax ##armandhammer ##diycleaning♬ original sound – MrsLaurenElms

Have you ever tried laundry stripping before? If not, do you think you’ll try this out?