Towels will come out the washing machine feeling rough if you wash them with too much fabric softner (Image: Getty)
Towels often become scratchy and rough feeling over time, but there is an easy way to get their comfy cosy texture back so they feel brand new once again. The biggest reason towels lose their softness is if you have picked up a few bad habits as overloading the washing machine and using too much can harden the fabric.
As they are highly absorbent, soap will build up in the fibres due to too much fabric softener – and packing them in tightly will cause them not to rinse properly. However Christina Dennis, a cleaning expert known as has shared that the best way to soften hard towels is to use oxygen bleach or baking soda. Christina said: “My best tip is to wash your white towels with oxygen bleach EVERY TIME.”
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Soften towels by washing them with oxygen bleach or baking soda (Image: Getty)
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She added: “I use a scoop of Oxiclean White Revive (a non-chlorine bleach product) in every load of white towels or sheets. If you don’t want to use oxygen bleach, try baking soda instead. Baking soda is a powerhouse that can clean just about anything!”
Oxygen bleach is a non-chlorine bleach that is much safer and more gentle to use on white laundry that will help freshen up hardened towels. It is fantastic at breaking down soapy residues trapped in towels while also whitening them so they will feel new again.
Many people do not like washing with any sort of bleach, so it is highly recommended to try using baking soda instead as it will also help restore towels as it is a natural fabric softener.
Baking soda is alkaline which means it can break down acidic greasy build ups like soap and will also enhance the cleaning effects of laundry detergent so the towels are thoroughly cleaned.
Your towels will be soft and fluffy after just one wash (Image: Getty)
How to properly clean hard and rough towels
All you need to do is place your towels in the washing machine and add your normal laundry detergent.
Then, add a scoop of oxygen bleach or baking soda to the detergent drawer as well. Do not add any fabric softener and always make sure to follow the label instructions if using oxygen bleach.
Put your washing machine on the hottest cycle the towels can be washed on as it is the best way to make sure they are deep cleaned.
Once the wash is done, put the towels on a rinse cycle. If you wish, you can add two tablespoons of white vinegar to where you would normally use fabric softener at this stage.
Christina said: “If you’re finding your towels getting stiff, I find that adding distilled white vinegar alongside your detergent every so often helps strip the towels and get them feeling fluffy again.”
When the towels have been washed them give each towels a little shake before putting them in the tumble dryer or hanging them up as it will help fluff up the fibres.
After the towels have dried they should be fluffy, soft and completely clean once again with this simple laundry routine.