We All Want Them but How Do You Get Them?
Have you ever thought about it? The life of a towel is a hard life. Getting wet, friction, drying out then doing it all over again. Moreover, the water may be hard and washing your towels in hard water is more likely to leave a residue.
The result will be that a towel that lives a life as hard as that is sure to not be as soft and fluffy as it once was. How can we maintain that wonderful soft and fluffy feeling that we all desire in a towel?
Here are some tips!
Cut Back on Detergent
Towels can become stiff and lose their softness because they start to build up soapy residue. Use less detergent and your machine’s rinse cycle will have an easier time rinsing out the soap. This may be all that you need to do to restore that soft and fluffy feel to your towels.
Wash in Warm Water
Warmer water – 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (32 to 44 Celsius) works best for cleaning towels and will result in less detergent buildup on your towels. Also, for better results let the detergent dissolve in the washer before adding towels – just start the wash cycle, add soap, and wait a minute or two before adding your towels.
Do Not Use Fabric Softeners
Replace fabric softeners with vinegar. Fabric softeners contain silicon that will make towels water repellent. The fabric softeners are designed to cling to the fabrics and over time build up a residue. Therefore, over time towels will not be washed as well.
Soften your towels by using one cup of white vinegar. The vinegar will remove the residue that makes towels feel rough. This method will also bring back the softness and restore them to full absorbency.
If you use bleach, be careful. Mixing vinegar and bleach will create fumes that you will not want to breathe.
Simply run the towels through a regular washing cycle, then redo them using vinegar instead of soap. Use 1 cup per load.
Use Baking Soda
This will help loosen up fibers and clean off any chemicals or soap residue. This will make your towels softer. Just mix half a cup of baking soda with your normal amount of detergent.
There is another nice bonus. Baking soda naturally eliminates musty odors that may have built up. If your towels were put in the hamper a bit damp or left on the bathroom floor for a while then baking soda will give them a nice, clean, and fresh smell.
Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the laundry when you add your regular liquid detergent. Baking soda helps whiten whites, brighten brights, and ensure odor-free clothing.
If your towels are significantly coated with residue then you may need to repeat the vinegar and baking soda steps one more time. To keep your towels fresh, give your towels this treatment whenever they start to feel crunchy.
Lighten Your Wash Load
Don’t put too many towels in your washer at once. Too big a load will it strain the machine mechanically. Moreover, a large load makes it harder to rinse out all the cleaning agents. To have soft, fluffy, and clean-smelling towels it is vital that they be rinsed well.
The same goes for your dryer; if you overload it, there won’t be enough air in the dryer to properly fluff the fabric. So, you’ll get stiff, matted towels, instead of soft, fluffy ones. For most standard machines, try two or three bath towels at a time, along with hand towels and washcloths.
Use A Dryer Ball (or three!)
The towels, when damp, will stick together in the dryer. This slows down the drying process. When you add dryer balls into your clothes dryer the balls will get in-between the towels. The balls help to separate the towels and allow more air to circulate between the towels. This improves dryer efficiency and helps to fluff up the towels.
You can also consider tumbling the towels for a few extra minutes on a low heat setting once the towels are fully dry.
We hope that you will now be able to enjoy soft and fluffy towels. We believe that these tips will help you to keep your towels plush and fluffy for their entire lives. Towels have a tough life and we can help them to be at their best with a little bit of extra care.
Give us a call at 802-295-6065 if you live in the Upper Valley and need extra support with your home cleaning. We have been providing homeowners of the Upper Valley with top-notch home cleaning services since 1993.