Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Sluttishly Clean: SoakWash


I'm quite old school when it comes to laundry: I iron everything (not underwear or towels, don't be daft), darn holes in my socks, and handwash all my dresses. This is why I have so many dresses: I've still got pretty much every one I've bought since I was 17 because they are all untouched by the brutal tumble of the washing machine drum.

So when I was asked to test SoakWash, a fancy new way to handwash clothes, I was genuinely excited. (Welcome to my world. Being 33 means you can admit to looking forward to a Sunday afternoon clothes washing session.) It was originally designed for knitwear but you can use it on anything.

So why SoakWash as opposed to whatever washing powder you've got in your cupboard? Well, the main bonus is that you don't have to scrub your clothes. Add a teaspoon to a sinkful of water, stick your dirty clothes in, leave them for 15 minutes and they're magically clean. "It's also," as the covering letter explained, "beautifully sluttish in that it doesn't even need to be rinsed." Now, I might be a fan of cutting corners, but I'm not quite such a filth hound that I can't be bothered to rinse soap off my clothes.

I tested it on some dresses and my inappropriately tiny sweater (see below). Here's how it went:

18:59 - fill the sink, add SoakWash, throw in clothes. 
19:00 - turn on Man Vs. Food and watch Adam Richman attempt to eat a 6lb, 2 foot long burrito. YOU CAN DO IT, ADAM!
19:15 - in the ad break, run upstairs, squeeze water out of clothes, fling them over a clothes horse.
19:30 - watch Adam fail with 1lb of burrito left. Today, food wins. BOOOOO.


The verdict?  It's brilliant. I don't know how it does it, but it works. No scrubbing or swishing or rinsing, yet it managed to leave my clothes clean and fresh - even the armpits, which can get a bit ripe on the inappropriate sweater. I love it. I didn't think I'd be that fussed about it, but it makes my handwashing pile much easier to get through. And my clothes don't have a soapy residue despite not rinsing them. IT'S ACTUAL MAGIC.

SoakWash isn't particularly cheap at £15 for a 400ml bottle from Purlescence. It comes in 90ml and 120ml bottles but at £9 and £11 respectively, you may as well get a big bottle. You can get over 80 washes out of that so it'll probably last you a year, even if you're as obsessive about handwashing as I am.
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20 comments:

  1. Sian Meades12 February 2013 at 10:27

    Oooh magic. Also, I really, really like the packaging.

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    1. Sara12 February 2013 at 10:31

      Me too. I like that mine said "celebration" on it. It all feels oddly decadent for detergent.

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  2. Last-Year Girl12 February 2013 at 10:39

    I am genuinely so excited about this. And I'm only 32. What laundry-based excitement will I be facing in a year's time I wonder?

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    1. Sara12 February 2013 at 10:47

      Who knows how things will have moved on by 2014? You'll probably just have to put your clothes NEAR some detergent and they'll be washed, dried and ironed for you.

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  3. Laura B12 February 2013 at 10:42

    I am excited, too. I am 33, though, so it figures. Getting some! Sounds MAGICAL.

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    1. Sara12 February 2013 at 10:48

      Get it! It's a GAME CHANGER. (Are we just buying things from each other's posts? I just got a Tiny Confessions print.)

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    2. Laura B12 February 2013 at 10:50

      Hurrah! Which one did you buy!

      What does Celebration smell like? I can't decide which scent to get.

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    3. Sara12 February 2013 at 11:43

      The "I have no concept of how small I am" one. True of both tiny dogs and me.

      Celebration doesn't have a very strong smell, to be honest. Just sort of...fresh? And clean?

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    4. Kat Brown12 February 2013 at 14:58

      Do any of them smell 'the best'? I am intrigued by lacey.

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    5. Laura B12 February 2013 at 15:03

      I have bought Lacey and Celebration. My giddiness got the better of me.

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    6. Sara13 February 2013 at 12:00

      Yay! I gave my mum my sample of Lacey. I will ask her to report back (she's probably lost it somewhere in her bag, mind).

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  4. Kat Brown12 February 2013 at 12:44

    I'm 30 and I don't care - I want it! This looks genuinely brilliant. I never handwash anything because it's just such a palaver, but my knitted dresses could really use a bit of this.

    Handwashing question - can I put my wet things in the washing machine to spin? or does that damage them too?

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    1. Sara12 February 2013 at 14:23

      I put them on the most gentle spin cycle for 10 minutes. Stick them in a pillowcase first if they're super delicate. If you hang clothes up when they're too wet, they'll take too long to dry and smell funny.

      It turns out I have A LOT to say about laundry.

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    2. Kat Brown12 February 2013 at 14:30

      But all useful things! And yes, I agree with the timing/heat things. My tumbledryer doesn't work, so I have to air dry everything on the clothes horse. I've started moving it in to the sitting room when I've got the fire on just so everything dries faster and doesn't go musty. Eurgh! Stupid must.

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  5. Jabberwk12 February 2013 at 15:43

    This is an incredibly useful post. I have just been despairing because I had to handwash soooo many things at once after mould got into the wardrobe and now I can't tell if there's still a tiny bit of mould on some stuff or if it's just that I didn't get all the soap out. Any chance of getting more cleaning tips and cheats from the Domestic Sluts as well as all the gorgeous recipes?

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    1. Sara13 February 2013 at 11:58

      Oh no, poor you - mould sounds like a horrible thing to deal with. I'm glad you liked the post!

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  6. Princessdeia12 February 2013 at 21:33

    As a knitter I have been using Soak for years, the next stage is to try all the "scents"

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    1. Sara13 February 2013 at 11:59

      Which ones have you tried, Princessdeia? I don't usually like strong smelling laundry products, but 'Celebration' didn't seem too scented.

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  7. Annie14 February 2013 at 13:23

    Sounds marvellous! Do you think it would work in a bath? To wash a duvet?! I live FAR from a launderette and it won't fit in the machine...

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    1. Sara15 February 2013 at 12:01

      Oh gosh - I suspect the long trek to the laundrette is the only thing for a duvet, to be honest. You could certainly wash it in the bath with SoakWash, but if's too big for your machine, you won't be able to spin the water out of it. You'd end up with a damp and musty duvet.

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