White vinegar is touted as a solution for a multitude of cleaning challenges, including eliminating limescale and mould, brightening laundry, and softening items such as towels.

Vinegar’s antibacterial and acidic properties enable it to eradicate sweat, oil stains, and residues from products like shower gel and shampoo.

Although often used solo, it is typically advised to enhance its efficacy by blending it with other household components. Such complementary ingredients consist of baking soda, dish soap, essential oils, or soda crystals.

For instance, when aiming to soften stiff towels, cleaning enthusiast @anna_louisa_at_home recommends using soda crystals in conjunction with white vinegar.

Anna shared her tip to TikTok, captioning her video: “How to get the fluffiest towels. I’ve always struggled with my towels as we live in a hard water area.

“I have learnt that using soda crystals and white vinegar is a great way to combat limescale and residue on your towels and restore your towel’s softness. Game-changer!”

In her demonstration, Anna begins by submerging her towels in a tub of water, sprinkling in soda crystals, and allowing them to soak for a short duration.

She continues by moving the towels to the washing machine, where she adds her standard detergent into the drum, and puts both white vinegar and soda crystals into the dispenser compartment.

Towels in washing machine
Towels will feel as good as new with this simple method (Image: Getty Images)

For those desiring to restore their towels to a “brighter” hue, Anna also suggests adding oxi powder (a specialized laundry bleach for whites) to the mix.

Even the cleaning experts at Big Green Smile vouch for this method of freshening up towels. They advised: “If your towels are feeling a bit crunchy, it may be that they’re suffering from lime scale and detergent build-up.”

“Try soaking them in a medium-strength mixture of soda crystals and warm water. Rinse well, then wash them as normal, with half a cup of white vinegar in the fabric conditioner drawer.”

After washing your towels, give them a good shake to fluff up the fibres. On a good day, dry your towels outside to benefit from the breeze and sunshine.

Should you need to dry your towels indoors, make sure to spread them out on a drying rack or hang them flat. This will increase their surface area, ensuring they dry off swiftly.