We have a laundrywoman in lieu of a washing machine. We have noticed that she would soak the clothes in a big basin of water for 5 to 10 minutes before adding soap. She would stir the water so the bubbles will appear. Again, she will let it stay for 5 to 10 minutes before doing the actual washing. When I asked her about it, she said that dirt is loosened by the soaking so the washing need not be tedious. I have to believe her because she has been washing our clothes for more than 6 years now and we have no complaints. So there, soak the clothes before doing the actual washing that can save you labor and assure you of cleaner clothes.
That's how we have alwaya done. Soaking helps even the most stubborn stains to fade. It is effective way of washing clothes. Soaking in water alone reduces the amount of detergent consumption. As a lot of dirt is loosened in this way.
That's exactly what I do too, I'd soak all the clothes I need to wash primarily to loosen the dirts in them. The fact is if you dash to washing the clothes straight away without soaking first I am not sure you'll come out with a clean wash. Sometimes I soak my clothes throughout the night to get them washed the next day. Soaking makes clothes easier to wash and get better clean clothes.
I always soak my clothes before washing a few minutes, that's what I was taught by my husband the first time I ever started washing by hand. Actually, soaking anything dirty for a few minutes in water will loosen the dirt for an easier washing experience, such as dishes. This is one way I keep my toddlers clothes clean since she always stains her clothes with food.
I always do that as well. I even directly pour bleach on the clothes so that it will be very white, and I even use bleach for colored clothes if there is a stain on any of my colored clothing. It is quite effective, although don't soak shirts for too long since it will begin to smell unless you regularly change the water.
I soak clothes in Ariel soap powder for at least half an hour. It makes them clean of any kind of dirt. It doesn't smell either. But if you soak clothes more than half an hour a foul smell will be there and also it will considerably reduce the life of fabrics. In some parts of our country I have seen people beating the already soaked clothes with a rod as if to take out the dirt. It is not good for the fabric which will be torn out easily. It's always better to wash it with bare hands and your cloth will remain fresh for a long time.
I have also observed that from my wife who is the one who does the laundry for our dirty clothes. It is a practical way of washing stubborn dirt which could easily be softened when soaks for several minutes. As other have said, it could save money, time and effort in doing so. However, nowadays there are detergent laundry soap that could easily gets stubborn dirt which soaking the clothes for it soften the fabric of the clothes.
Soaking the clothes before washing takes away half of the dirt by itself. I do this even for machine wash. The instructions of washing machine tell us to soak the clothes as well for at least 30 minutes before putting detergent. However, this might not be applicable for all kind of fabrics. Clothes with bright colors might leave color stains in this process.
