Towels can become stiff and uncomfortable if not washed correctly, but don’t rush to bin them as they can be rejuvenated in just one wash. Tom Ceconi from Heritage Park Laundry explains that towels often lose their softness when washed with fabric softener.
He advised: “Using liquid fabric softener, which is oil- and petroleum-based and leaves a slick coating on towel fibres, making them less absorbent.”
The super absorbency of towels means that fabric softener leaves behind a waxy layer that washing machines struggle to remove. This leads to a build-up of soap in the fabric over time, resulting in towels that are greasy, stiff, and still smell musty after being laundered, reports the Express.
But fear not, there’s a straightforward solution to make your towels soft and fluffy again using two common kitchen cupboard staples. Tom shared: “You can restore your cotton towels with three simple steps using just baking soda and white vinegar.”
It might sound odd, but white vinegar’s acetic acid neutralises the alkaline residue from detergents that roughen towels. White vinegar also tackles soap remnants and eliminates trapped moisture, banishing any lingering damp odours.
Baking soda is touted as the top natural solution for breaking down greasy residues. It also dissolves any soap that white vinegar fails to eliminate, thus making towels cleaner and softer.
If you opt to use white vinegar and baking soda to rejuvenate your towels, two washes will be necessary. They can’t be used in the same wash cycle as they’ll react with each other, diminishing their effectiveness.
How to wash towels to get them soft again
Start by putting your towels in the washing machine on a warm water cycle and pour some white vinegar into the slot where you’d usually add fabric softener. Avoid using fabric softener or laundry detergent.
Once the wash is complete, add only baking soda to the detergent drawer and run another wash. After the second wash, either hang your towels to dry or tumble dry them on a low heat setting.
Avoid using any fabric softener sheets, and if possible, add wool balls to the tumble dryer. This will also help fluff up your towels.
Tom stated: “Wool dryer balls soften towels without the use of any chemicals. As we mentioned earlier, fabric softener and dryer sheets are to be avoided at all times, but especially with towels.
“These products leave a waxy build-up on your towels and in your machine that flatten fibres and minimize absorbency.”
Once your towels have dried, they should feel soft and fluffy again, eliminating the need to discard them or resort to harsh chemical solutions.