Towels often lose their softness over time and can become scratchy or uncomfortable, but there is a simple way to make them fluffy again.
There are multiple reasons towels become rough, such as overfilling a washing machine, leaving wet towels in a hamper or not drying them properly.
However, Becky Rapinchuk, creator of the popular cleaning website Clean Mama, has shared that the most common reason towels stiffen up is due to soap residue build-up from laundry cleaners.
She said: “Fabric softener coats the fibres and can keep your towels from getting fully clean – not to mention it’s full of chemicals that you don’t need in your home.”
Becky has said getting towels soft and fluffy again is “much easier than you might think” as all you need is white vinegar that you likely already have in your kitchen cupboard.
Becky said: “You can use white vinegar as a softener and bonus, it’ll freshen up your towels too. Simply pour the vinegar in the softener dispenser on your washing machine.”
Vinegar is acidic, so it can naturally dissolve detergent and fabric softener build-up and also neutralise the alkaline in the detergent residue which can affect the towel’s fabric.
All you have to do is place your towels on a regular hot wash and add vinegar to the detergent drawer instead of your usual laundry cleaners.
If towels are smelling musty from being wet a long time then you can also add baking soda to the detergent drawer as it is a natural way to neutralise odours.
Becky said: “If you have some extra stinky towels use baking soda in a wash and then re-wash the towels with your favourite detergent.”
One way to make sure towels do not become hard is not to leave laundry in the washing machine overnight and be careful about how much laundry you are doing at once.
Becky said: “Never leave your towels (or any laundry) longer than a couple hours in the washing machine. The wet towels and closed spaces are breeding grounds for bacteria to build up.
“Never over-fill your washing machine or dryer as you want adequate water flow in the wash and airflow in the dryer to clean and dry your towels (and any laundry).”
However, if all else fails an easy way to keep towels soft is to use white towels instead of colourful ones as white towels can be washed on a hotter cycle to help remove residue.
Becky said: “If you’re looking to simplify your laundry, I also suggest switching to white towels. You can wash them all at once, they can be washed on hot or sanitised when needed without fading.
“Wash them with bleach alternative to remove stains without any spotting or fading. And best of all? White towels add a spa-like look to your bathrooms and they match with just about any color or decor.”
