Product Review: Soak Wash



As fun as shopping is, what good is finding that Holy Grail item if you don't take good care of it post-purchase? I'm a huge proponent of following label instructions on clothes and giving your wardrobe a regular once-over and some TLC if needed: shaving the pills off knitwear, brushing lint off a winter coat, spraying stain repellant on a pair of leather boots before their first outing of the season on slushy, salted sidewalks. In keeping with this outlook, today's Product Review veers off the beaten path of beauty products and focuses on a clothing care item, Soak.

When a publicist first contacted me about Soak, I became curious. This gentle detergent promises to be a convenient, easy handwash solution for your delicates without requiring you to scrub or mangle them. Simply put a spoonful of the gentle formula wash in cool water and let your delicates soak for 15 minutes, then pull them out and squeeze the water out gently. No rinsing is required and your clothes dry residue-free. Does this sound too good to be true? It did to me, which is why I wrote back requesting product samples--I had to see this product working with my own eyes.

A parcel arrived in the mail a month later which included sample sizes in Soak's four scents--flora, aquae, citrus, and unscented--and a 130 mL bottle of Soak in the aquae scent. I conducted my product test with the unscented sample, although I sniffed the other scents to see what they were like. The aquae formula has the least obtrusive scent after the unscented formula. The flora scent is very light, and the citrus scent is the strongest of the four but still pleasant.

Let's see how this went down in photos, shall we?

I used the unscented sample to wash my Malene Grotrian bustier, a piece that had delicate fabrics, intricate stays I didn't want to undo, and wire boning I didn't want to bend--all in all, the perfect candidate for a date with Soak.


Following the instructions as closely as possible, I filled the sink with cool water and squeezed all the unscented Soak out of the packet. Suds formed and I dropped the bustier in, then decided on the spur of the moment to drop in a garment that had a small stain on it.


After 15 minutes, the suds all but disappeared. I pulled the bustier out; the water and the fabric didn't have that slippery, soapy feel that I get when I handwash things with normal detergent, thereby living up to the "no rinsing required" claim.


The sink full of dirty water is proof enough for me--this product works! However, I was disappointed to find that the stain in the other garment remained. Obviously a bit more elbow grease than hands-off soaking was required.


Final verdict: Soak is a handy product to have for gently soiled delicates, especially if you're strapped for time and can't be bothered to handwash items individually. However, extra effort is required in some cases to get your garments truly clean.

17 comments

  1. Oh, this seems like the perfect product for busy career women and moms! Imagine, no handwashing required! But I am not sure if it's available where I am. It would be the best partner for my delicate blouses and dresses.
    - Kaith

    ReplyDelete
  2. you can get soak online at www.soakwash.com, and currently they have a discount code! Use SOAK09 during checkout for 15% off your order. Great way to try the product out. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oooh I love product reviews! I will definitely have to look into that. I have a silk blouse that stains so easily and I don't want to have to dry clean it every time! Thanks Lisa!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AliciaFashionista, I DON'T recommend this product for dryclean only garments! When I purchased the bustier, I asked the designer for care instructions and she told me handwashing would be okay, which was why I used Soak to clean it. If it's silk, I really think it should be drycleaned.

    ReplyDelete
  5. haha this is so crazy, my company got samples of that to test for swimsuits.
    not a lot of good feedback from us, but that's probably because it's bathing suits.

    looks good for clothes! like to just wash off sweat/odors and what not :)

    from what i remember, it's friendly to the environment too, right?

    ReplyDelete
  6. This would have been a godsend for me while travelling.

    Great review, thanks!

    jeniwren.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. hey lisa, how do you remove pills from sweaters? i have acrylic sweaters that got all pilled up after washes. and if you put hand wash only items in a laundry washing bag in the washer rather than hand washing, will your clothes still be ok?

    ReplyDelete
  8. I'm always looking for something like this. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'll check the care label before I wash my silk blouse. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother buying silk garments!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Danielle, I bought a sweater shaver from London Drugs for about $40 a while ago. It shaves fuzz and pills off your sweaters and has been pretty effective. I've heard good things about washing delicates in a laundry bag, but I think the best results are achieved when you use cold water, a gentle detergent, and a gentle cycle as well.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm with Jeni. Sounds like a godsend for lengthy business trips. I'll have to tell my Mom about it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. definitely looks interesting. can you only get the stuff online?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Erin, I think it's available at La Vie En Rose and Sears.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi there,

    I sell Soak in my lingerie shop and have for a couple of years now. My customers LOVE it and YES, it can be used for silk! The website also lists stores in your neighbourhood where Soak can be purchased as well SEARS now retails the product in the lingerie section. Some of my staff and customers have also used it to clean make-up brushes and yoga mats.
    Jen from secrets from your sister, TO

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dawn dishwashing detergent is awesome for stains. Really. 🤷🏽‍♀️❤️

    ReplyDelete

Back to Top