With the exception of Orchiata, the primary reasons to soak fir bark are to rid the bark of dust and some of the bark which is starting to break down. This decomposing bark will sink to the bottom, hence the suggestion to only skim off the bark which floats to use. This allows your media to last longer as you are using the freshest bark.
As Ray stated, Orchiata is prewashed and pretreated. However, I still spray water over it to cut down the dust.
As to time to soak, I never soak longer than overnight as you will only hasten the deterioration of the bark. No more than 8-10 hours would be best and again to only use the bark which floats. The rest is great for top dressing for non-orchid pot plants or as a mulch in the garden.
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