Wondering how to make your towels soft again – with eco-friendly methods? No matter how soft and plushy a towel once was, it will most likely becoming stiff and scratchy after a few washes. Thankfully, there are ways to fix it.
Why Towels Get Stiff
There is nothing like the feeling of jumping out of a nice shower and drying yourself off with a soft and snuggly towel. Unfortunately, as so often is the case, we can find ourselves hopping out of the shower into a coarse, scratchy and stiff towel.
Certain chemicals in laundry detergents, air drying the towels when they are still wet or washing them in hard water can cause the towels to lose their softness. While cleaning your towels by simply throwing them in the washing machine may be the easiest and fastest way, it won’t help with keeping your towels fluffy and soft.
Follow this guide on how to make towels soft again, using only eco-friendly methods.
Why Try a Natural Method To Make Towels Soft Again?
Advertisements have tried to teach us that we need to add detergents and fabric softeners to every wash to get good results However, this is not the case. In fact, it is quite the opposite.
Commercial detergent and softener brands often contain harsh chemicals such as chloroform and benzyl acetate, which have the potential to induce skin rashes or pancreatic cancer. Not to mention they are incredibly bad for the environment, both at the production phase in the form of air pollution, as well as after use, when they accumulate in waterways and most likely affect biodiversity in unforeseeable ways.
Many among us will also reach for bleach when we want to remove grey oder brownish stains from our white towels. The problem here is that, not only is chlorine very toxic to the environment, over time, it will also weaken the fibers in the towels, making them less absorbent. That way, your towels might never feel and smell fresh again.
Therefore we highly recommend switching your washing routine up with eco-friendly methods. Those will also save you a pretty penny when it comes to always buying new softeners and detergents.
Follow these three tips on how you can make towels soft again, only using eco-friendly methods.
1. Wash With Vinegar and Baking Soda
Adding vinegar to your washing will help to remove detergent residue as well as set the colors. If you are dealing with heftier stains or smells, add some baking soda as well.
Instructions:
- Use half the recommended amount of detergent, and add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the basin during the rinse cycle.
- For the more aggressive smells and stains, add ½ a cup of baking soda and 2 cups of hot water to the basin and run the wash as usual.
To stop the build-up of smells and stiffness in your towels, we recommend adding white vinegar to your machine every few washes.
Note: When you do feel you need to use detergent, opt for natural, plant-based ones free from fragrances, chlorines and dyes. Those are better for your skin, the environment and the water supply.
2. Wash With Lemon Juice
It may be very tempting to reach for the bottle of bleach when your white towels are losing their color. Luckily, lemon juice is just as effective at keeping your white towels shining. Lemon juice is also all-natural, as well as a fraction of the price of bleach. Mixed with some white vinegar it’ll even help to make your towels soft again.
Instructions:
- Before washing your white towels, soak them in a basin of water, a splash or white vinegar and the juice of 1 lemon for a few hours or overnight.
- Add them to the washing machine as usual.
Alternatively, add ½ a cup of lemon juice straight into the washing machine during the rinse cycle.
3. Hang Your Towels Outside to Make Them Soft Again
If you have the space, consider hanging your towels out to dry. It’s another natural way to help keep them soft.
Instructions:
- When you take your towels out of the washing machine, give them a good shake. This will fluff up the fabric, helping to keep it soft and absorbent.
- Hang the towels out on the line to air dry. Drying them outside is best, and can even be done when the weather is cold outside.
- Some recommend placing the towel in the dryer for 15 minutes afterwards, others suggest adding a tennis ball – that’s supposed to make the towels even more fluffy. But the dryer will need extra energy and the ball may damage your dryer – so we recommend just hanging the towels outside until they are fully dry.
Read on:
- Drying Laundry Naturally: An Alternative to Your Dryer
- How to Clean and Wash Pillows in the Washing Machine & By Hand
- How to Clean a Microfiber Cloth: What You Need to Know
Important Information regarding Health-related Topics.
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