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Protocol
Method steps
- Cover the item with water at the label's temperature Fill a sink, tub or the washer with enough water to cover the item, at the warmest temperature the care label allows (Tide). For blood, sweat or grass stains, keep it cold to lukewarm, below 38°C (100°F) (Iowa State University Extension).
- Dissolve the detergent before adding the item Stir the detergent in until it has dissolved, then add the item; Tide's directions use a measured full dose of its Tide Ultra OXI liquid (Tide).
- Agitate briefly Move the load briefly at the start to help the detergent dissolve, and again during the soak to flex the fibres and release loosened soil (Kansas State University Extension).
- Soak for about 30 minutes In most cases a soak of 30 minutes or less is sufficient; for a longer soak, add slightly more detergent or use a presoak product (Kansas State University Extension).
- Drain, then wash with fresh detergent Drain the soak water and wash with the usual amount of fresh detergent (Kansas State University Extension).
Use the prewash option for heavily soiled loads, such as large amounts of dust and sand. Soak when a stain needs contact time: about 30 minutes in detergent, in water no warmer than the care label allows, and cold to lukewarm for blood, sweat or grass. For everyday soil, do neither. Wool and silk get minutes, not hours.
Prewash is an extra wash before the main wash: the washer fills (adding the prewash detergent), tumbles or agitates the clothes, drains and spins, then runs the selected wash cycle (GE Appliances (external link)). A presoak, in Tide’s directions, means covering the item with water in a sink, tub or washing machine, dissolving detergent in it and leaving the item there before the wash (Tide (external link)). Which main cycle to pick afterwards is covered in washing machine cycles explained.
The decision table: soil and fabric first
Find your soil in the first column and your fabric in the second: if a row matches, then use the method in the third column, within the limit in the fourth.
| Soil | Fabric | Use | Time and temperature limit | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everyday soil, not heavy | Any washable | Neither | No extra step: prewash and presoaks are described for heavily soiled loads | GE; Kansas State Extension |
| Large amounts of dust or sand | Loads on a cycle that allows prewash | Prewash cycle | Samsung: cold water; Whirlpool compact front-loader: adds 20 minutes | Miele; Samsung; Whirlpool |
| Care label recommends prewashing | As labelled | Prewash cycle | Per the washer's own option | GE |
| Heavy general soil | Washables that cannot take hot water | Detergent soak | 30 minutes or less is usually enough; water no warmer than the label allows | Kansas State Extension; Tide |
| Blood, sweat, grass | Any washable except silk and wool | Soak with an enzyme product | Cold to lukewarm, below 38°C (100°F) | Iowa State Extension; Kansas State Extension |
| Wine, juice, coffee, food | Water-washable; check the fibre in the bleach chart first | Oxygen-bleach presoak | OxiClean: 1 to 6 hours; works at any temperature, best warm to hot; never boiling; follow the care label | OxiClean |
| Any soil that calls for a soak | Dark or bright colours | If a soak is indicated, use cooler water | Many dark or bright colours need cooler water to prevent fading; no degree figure given | Kansas State Extension |
| Hand-wash soil | Wool knitwear | Short soak; no enzyme presoak; no prewash on Samsung's Wool cycle | 10 minutes, lukewarm | Woolmark; Kansas State Extension; Samsung |
| Hand-wash soil | Silk | Short soak; no enzyme presoak; no bleach | 3 to 5 minutes; no long soaks | Royal Silk; Kansas State Extension |
The oxygen-bleach row quotes the presoak directions for OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover↗; its section below gives them in full.
What each washer’s prewash and soak options do
Each row quotes one maker’s own documentation, for the model or range named.
| Maker and option | What it does | Time | Detergent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whirlpool compact front-loader: PreWash | Helps clean heavily soiled laundry | Adds a 20-minute prewash | Not stated on the help page |
| Samsung: Pre Wash | Cold water fill, tumble, drain, then the selected cycle; not on Wool, Quick Wash, Delicates/Handwash or Rinse+Spin | Not stated | Pre wash section of the compartment |
| GE: Prewash | Fill, tumble or agitate, drain and spin, then the selected cycle | Not stated | Prewash dispenser; SmartDispense sets the amount by load size |
| GE: AutoSoak | Brief tumble or agitation, then a soak to loosen embedded soils and stains | 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour or 2 hours | Main wash compartment |
| Miele WWV 980: Pre-wash | For laundry with large amounts of dirt, such as dust and sand | Not stated | Pre-wash compartment |
| Miele WWV 980: Soak | For heavily soiled and stained items with protein stains | 30 minutes to 6 hours; default 30 minutes | Main-wash compartment |
GE describes prewash for clothes that are excessively or heavily soiled, and for clothes whose care label recommends prewashing before washing (GE Appliances (external link)).
Setting up a prewash
Prewash detergent goes in the prewash dispenser (GE: liquid or powder high-efficiency detergent, or the proper wash additive), and the option must be selected before pressing Start/Pause; GE washers with SmartDispense add the prewash amount automatically based on load size (GE Appliances (external link)).
No soak option on your washer?
On a GE washer without AutoSoak, let it fill and agitate or tumble for a few minutes, press Start/Pause to let the load soak, then press it again to start the wash; a washer left paused with the lid or door closed for more than 24 hours drains automatically (GE Appliances (external link)).
How to soak in a sink or tub
Kansas State University Extension’s laundering guide (September 1991) puts it this way: presoak heavily soiled items with a laundry detergent for short soaks, or a presoak product for 30 minutes to overnight; then drain the soak water and wash with the usual amount of fresh detergent (Kansas State University Extension (external link)). If clothes are heavily soiled but cannot be washed in hot water, presoaking may help (Kansas State University Extension (external link)). The same guide lists not presoaking heavily stained articles (at least 30 minutes) among the causes of greying, alongside too little detergent, overloading and water that is not hot enough (Kansas State University Extension (external link)).
1. Cover the item with water at the label’s temperature
Fill a sink, tub or the washer with enough water to cover the item, at the warmest temperature the care label allows (Tide (external link)). For blood, sweat or grass stains, keep it cold to lukewarm, below 38°C (100°F) (Iowa State University Extension (external link)). For dark or bright colours, go cooler: many need cooler water temperatures to prevent fading (Kansas State University Extension (external link)).
Not sure what the label allows?The decoder reads the washtub symbol, whose temperature is the ceiling for the soak water in Tide’s method.
Decode the label2. Dissolve the detergent before adding the item
Stir the detergent in until it has dissolved, then add the item. Tide’s directions use a measured full dose of its Tide Ultra OXI liquid, and its basic presoak then runs 30 minutes before laundering as usual (Tide (external link)).
3. Agitate briefly
Brief agitation at the start of the soak helps dissolve the detergent, and agitation during the soak flexes the fibres to release loosened soil (Kansas State University Extension (external link)).
4. Soak for about 30 minutes
In most cases a soak of 30 minutes or less is sufficient; for a longer soak, increase the detergent slightly or use a special presoak product (Kansas State University Extension (external link)). A cold soak with detergent is effective: even at the lower temperature there is enough time for the detergent to loosen the soil, and the guide reports laboratory testing in which a cold soak followed by a warm wash cleaned as well as a hot-water wash (Kansas State University Extension (external link)).
5. Drain, then wash with fresh detergent
Drain the soak water and wash with the usual amount of fresh detergent (Kansas State University Extension (external link)).
Protein stains: cool water and an enzyme product
Protein-based stains include blood, sweat, grass, mud and most dirt, and they usually involve some soaking time (Iowa State University Extension (external link)). For grass, blood and sweat stains, use an enzyme-based product and pre-soak in cold to lukewarm water, below 38°C (100°F); protein stains will set if exposed to hot water, an iron or a dryer (Iowa State University Extension (external link)).
Enzyme presoak products are effective on protein-based stains such as egg, blood or grass, and enzyme products need time to work (Kansas State University Extension (external link)). They can be used on all fibres except silk and wool; chlorine bleach destroys enzyme action and should not be used with them unless added after the enzyme action is complete (Kansas State University Extension (external link)). For the stain-by-stain methods, see how to remove blood stains and how to remove grass stains.
Wine, juice, coffee and food: an oxygen-bleach presoak
OxiClean says its Versatile Stain Remover works on organic stains such as wine, juice, coffee and food (OxiClean (external link)). Its presoak: scoop to line 2 to 4 per 3.8 litres (1 gallon) of water, submerge the stained items once it has dissolved, soak 1 to 6 hours depending on the stain (some may need more time), then wash as normal; test on an inconspicuous area first (OxiClean (external link)). It works in any water temperature but best in warm to hot water; do not use boiling water, and follow the garment’s care instructions for water temperature (OxiClean (external link)). Those numbers are for OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover only; with another oxygen product, follow its package. Before the soak, check the fibre in what fabrics can you bleach; for whites that have yellowed, see how to whiten yellowed whites.
OxiClean describes Versatile Stain Remover as a chlorine-free, colour-safe powder that uses oxygen, sold as America’s #1 versatile stain remover by units, for water-washable fabrics and surfaces (OxiClean (external link)).
Wool and silk: minutes, not hours
To hand wash a wool sweater, Woolmark’s steps are lukewarm water with a wool detergent↗, a 10-minute soak, a thorough rinse in lukewarm water, then a second rinse in cold water (The Woolmark Company (external link)). The full wool routine is in how to wash a wool sweater without shrinking it.
A silk-garment maker’s hand-wash method: work the garment gently in soapy water for 2-3 minutes, then let it soak for 3-5 minutes; do not soak silk for long periods, since this may cause eventual fading of the colour (Royal Silk (external link)). The same maker says not to use any type of bleach on silk, and not to wring or twist it in the water, since silk is weaker when wet (Royal Silk (external link)). More in how to wash silk without ruining it.
What the sources do not settle
- One maximum soak time for every fabric. The longest windows quoted here belong to one product or machine each: 6 hours for Miele’s Soak extra and for the OxiClean presoak, and overnight for a presoak product in the Kansas State guide.
- A fixed prewash dose. GE’s SmartDispense washers set the prewash amount by load size; none of the sources on this page gives a fraction of a normal dose.
- How current the extension guide is. The Kansas State laundering guide dates from September 1991; its cold-soak laboratory result is reported as the guide states it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Hot water on blood, sweat or grass. Protein stains will set if exposed to hot water, an iron or a dryer (Iowa State University Extension).
- An enzyme presoak on silk or wool. Those products can be used on all fibres except silk and wool (Kansas State University Extension).
- Chlorine bleach in an enzyme soak. It destroys enzyme action unless added after the enzyme action is complete (Kansas State University Extension).
- A long soak for silk. It may cause eventual fading of the colour (Royal Silk).
- Soak water hotter than the label. Tide's presoak uses the warmest water the care label allows, not more (Tide).
Related reading
- Washing machine hub — cycles, capacity and washer problems.
- Stain removal hub — every stain guide in one place.
- Washing machine cycles explained — which main cycle follows the prewash or soak.
- How to remove blood stains — the full blood-stain method.
- What fabrics can you bleach? — the fibre chart to check before an oxygen-bleach soak.
- How to wash silk without ruining it — the whole silk routine.