Vinegar is often used as a natural fabric softener and cleaning booster for laundry. The acidic nature of vinegar helps to break down stubborn stains, soften fabrics, and kill bacteria and odors in clothes and washing machines. But how long is it safe to soak laundry in vinegar before washing? Here’s a look at the recommended vinegar soak times for clothes.
Quick Answer
Most sources recommend soaking clothes in a vinegar solution for 30 minutes to a few hours before washing. Overnight vinegar soaks are generally considered safe for stain removal but not necessary for regular laundry loads. Prolonged soaking for multiple days is not recommended as the acetic acid in vinegar can eventually damage fabrics.
The Purpose of Vinegar Soaks
There are a few reasons you may want to soak clothes in vinegar water before washing:
- Soften fabrics – The acetic acid in vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener by breaking down laundry detergent residues and minerals from hard water that can stiffen fabrics.
- Set dyes – For new brightly colored items, a soak in vinegar will help set the dyes so less color bleeds out in the wash.
- Clean stains – Vinegar is great at dissolving and lifting out perspiration, food, grass, mold, mildew, blood, oil, grease, and ink stains.
- Sanitize – Vinegar is a mild antimicrobial that kills odor-causing bacteria in laundry.
- Brighten – Vinegar removes dulling soap scum and mineral buildup like lime and rust from white clothes and linens.
- Deodorize – The acidic vinegar dissolves odors trapped in fabric fibers.
Recommended Vinegar Soak Times
Most vinegar soak recommendations fall into the following timeframes:
30 minutes to 2 hours
A 30 minute to 2 hour vinegar soak is sufficient for:
- Softening fabrics
- Sanitizing laundry
- Deodorizing smelly clothes
- Helping lightly soiled clothes loosen stains
- Brightening dingy whites
This timeframe allows the vinegar to penetrate fibers and work on odor, bacteria, and some stains without damaging the clothes. A 1:4 ratio of vinegar to water is commonly used.
8-12 hours or overnight
Soaking extra dirty or heavily stained laundry 8-12 hours or overnight in vinegar allows more time for the acidic vinegar to break down stubborn stains like:
- Oil and grease
- Mildew, mold and algae
- Grass
- Sweat and body oils
- Tea, coffee, and wine
- Certain food stains
- Some dye stains
Heavily soiled laundry may need a stronger vinegar solution around 1:3 vinegar to water ratio for maximum stain fighting power.
Multiple days
While vinegar is generally gentle, soaking clothes in vinegar for multiple days continuously can start to damage fabrics. Prolonged exposure to the acidic vinegar may:
- Weaken or eat holes in delicate fabrics
- Fade dyes and bleach colored clothes
- Corrode metal zippers, snaps, and buttons
Unless dealing with very heavily stained laundry, it’s best to limit vinegar soaks to overnight or less. For extra dirty clothes, do multiple shorter vinegar soaks instead of one prolonged soak.
When to Avoid Vinegar Soaks
While white vinegar is usually safe for most colorfast laundry, there are a few instances where vinegar soak should be avoided:
- Colored silks or wool – Vinegar may bleed dyes
- Rayon fabrics – Vinegar can damage rayon, viscose, and modal
- New, non-colorfast fabrics – Vinegar can bleed dyes from new fabrics; test first
- Items with decoration – Vinegar may corrode sequins, beads, metallic embroidery, etc.
It’s also best to skip the vinegar soak if clothes only have very light dirt or staining and don’t need intense cleaning. With delicates and specialty fabrics, it’s always a good idea to spot test vinegar soaking on an inconspicuous area first.
How to Soak Clothes in Vinegar
Follow these simple steps for safely soaking laundry in vinegar:
- Choose your wash load and sort colors. Avoid delicate fabrics.
- Inspect clothes for stains and heavily stained areas.
- Fill a sink, bucket, or bathtub with cool water. Avoid hot water as it can set some stains.
- Add white distilled vinegar. For a normal soak, use 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. For heavy stains, use a 1:3 ratio.
- Add the laundry and make sure all items are fully submerged. For heavy stains, try to concentrate the vinegar solution directly on the stained area.
- For light soiling, soak 30 minutes up to 2 hours. For heavy stains, soak 8-12 hours or overnight.
- Remove laundry and drain vinegar solution. Rinse if vinegar odor is strong.
- Wash items as normal with detergent and desired wash cycle.
- Avoid bleach if vinegar was used as the mixture creates toxic chlorine gas.
Repeat stain-fighting vinegar soaks as needed for tough stains. Make sure to launder items promptly after vinegar soak.
Using Vinegar in the Wash
In addition to presoaking, you can add vinegar to the washing machine for clean, soft laundry:
- Softener – Add 1⁄2 cup vinegar during rinse cycle instead of fabric softener
- Brightener – Add 1⁄2 cup vinegar to wash cycle for dingy whites
- Odor remover – Add 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup vinegar to wash or rinse to remove odors
- Hard water softener – Add 1⁄4 cup vinegar to wash cycle to soften mineral deposits
- Reduce soap residue – Add 1⁄4 cup vinegar to rinse cycle to dissolve detergent film
- Disinfect – Add 1⁄2 cup vinegar to wash cycle to kill germs and bacteria
Take care to avoid using vinegar with bleach. Do not use vinegar with rayon, wool, or silk fabrics. White distilled vinegar is recommended for best results.
Alternative Stain Removal Methods
While vinegar works well on many stains, alternatives to try include:
Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide can effectively remove stains like blood, wine, grass, tomato sauce, and more from white fabrics. Use a 3% solution and soak 15-30 minutes before washing.
Dish soap
Dish detergents like Dawn contain degreasers that can remove oil, grease, cosmetic, and food stains without harming most fabrics. Make a solution with warm water and soak stains 30-60 minutes.
Oxygen bleach
Oxygen bleach like OxiClean uses hydrogen peroxide to remove tough stains and whitens fabrics. Presoak clothes 6-8 hours or overnight before washing.
Baking soda
Make a paste with baking soda and water and apply it directly to stained areas. Let sit 30 minutes to an hour before washing. Baking soda also deodorizes.
Borax
Mix 1⁄2 cup Borax powder with 2 cups warm water. Soak clothes with stains 1-2 hours. Rinse and wash as usual.
Meat tenderizer
Dissolve unflavored meat tenderizer in warm water and soak blood, food, grass, and grease stains for 30 minutes prior to washing.
Conclusion
Soaking clothes in vinegar can be a safe, economical, and effective way to naturally soften fabrics, remove laundry odors, clean stains, whiten whites, and brighten colors before washing them. Most vinegar soaking recommendations are in the 30 minutes to overnight range. Avoid excessive multi-day vinegar soaking as well as using vinegar on silk, wool, and rayon fabrics. Test colored fabrics in an inconspicuous area first and check for dye bleeding. Always rinse and launder items promptly after a vinegar soak. When used properly for the recommended time, vinegar is usually a gentle yet powerful laundry pre-soaking solution.