Is soaking clothes in the washing machine before washing them more effective?

Absolutely! My grandma had the washer next to a big utility sink and would have the wash water dump into the sink to drain. She would put a load in the washer and one in the sink. She could do 2 loads at one time. 2nd load only had to spin dry. She was very frugal. But, soaking clothes loosens the soil and you can reduce the wash time. It's hot water and detergent and sun that fades clothes, not soaking.

I have a 5 gallon bucket that I use to pre-soak my clothes in. First, I wash the bucket out; Second, I add the hottest water I can (if you are going to soak clothes that are prone to fading or delicates, USE COLD WATER ONLY) get to 1/4 of the way up and add either 1.5 to 2 cups of bleach OR my preferred method which is a couple of scoops of OxyClean (you can also get the off-brand of OxyClean at the Dollar Store or Dollar Tree for just $1.00!, and a little bit of laundry detergent for good measure; Third, I fill the rest of the bucket with the hottest water I can obtain. I then take a clean old broom handle and auger the clothes around for a minute or two. I let the clothes sit for approximately 2-4 hours, intermittenly augering them about to keep the clothes evenly saturated. When I feel that they have soaked long enough, I pour out the water from the bucket, then fill it back up with fresh, clean water to rinse the bleach out of them, repeat this step a few times. I then wring-out the water and add them to the washing machine and wash as directed according to my washing machine's reccomendations. When I dry my clothing, I do not turn the dryer on the HIGH HEAT setting, and I take the clothes out just before they are completely dry as this helps to prolong the life of my clothing. NOTE: Never attempt to bleach anything that is an expensive delicate, silk, cashmere, lingerie, tuxedo wear, etc. Always take these items to a dry-cleaner! For those people who are washing Uniform items such as: Military, Police, Fire Dept., Private Society (Freemason, Marine Corps League, Elks Club, etc.), ALWAYS TAKE TO A PROFESSIONAL DRY CLEANER!!

Depends on what color they are, how many times you've washed them before, what you're washing them with, what temperature your water is, and the level of dirtiness. You must be careful not to fade things on each other. If they're new, watch out. Soak separately or individually. Your machine may even have a soak cycle. I only soak if things are really dirty and if they are items that have been washed several to many times before.

i do no longer comprehend what Lenor is, yet I recommend including a million to 2 cups of white vinegar to the wash water. Stuff the clothing into the showering gadget, upload besides the fact that detergent you utilize and then upload the white vinegar. enable the gadget to agitate for approximately 5 minutes and then close it off and permit the stuff to sit down down interior the water for besides the undeniable fact that long you may and then end washing the burden. The white vinegar softens the water and helps the detergent to paintings greater efficient. Are you washing the clothing in chilly water? while you're, I recommend you utilize heat water or warm if the clothing can stand it. the warmer the water, the greater efficient the detergent works. Are you over loading the showering gadget - putting too many outfits in so they do no longer agitate nicely? possibly dividing the burden in a million/2 and doing the above gets the clothing sparkling. Are you utilising the correct quantity of detergent and utilising a solid detergent? in case you do no longer use sufficient washing powder (detergent) it won't get the clothing sparkling. in case you utilize an exceedingly low-value detergent, it won't get your stuff sparkling no count what. i do no longer comprehend in case you have Tide the place you reside, yet I recommend you utilize that. Its a high quality detergent and gets your outfits sparkling.

I have found that it works wonders for me. As a single male, anything I can do to get my clothes cleaner is a real plus and soaking them for 20 min or longer REALLY gets them clean for me. Just an FYI.

it is effective but soak them in separate tub then throw the water and into machine .this way u dont get the dirty soaked water back inthe clothes

i soak my white load before i wash them. i wash my fiance's clothes twice usually to get rid of the grease smell so far no fading.

For some stains, soaking is effective.

I only soak those that are really spotty

the detergents nowadays are way better than when your mum did it

As long as they are not delicate clothes. I soak whites,Towels and sheets.