Instead, soften your towels by using one cup of white vinegar about every six weeks; this will remove the soapy residue that makes towels feel rough, bringing back softness while restoring them to full absorbency. Simply run the towels through a regular washing cycle, then redo them using vinegar instead of soap.
Soften towels with vinegar
The expert-recommended way to soften towels that have become scratchy is to use vinegar. 'Throw a cup of white vinegar in your next wash,' advises textiles expert and CEO of New Sega Home, Brian Delp. The towels have likely become stiff and scratchy because of the use of fabric softener.
Towels are hard after washing because they build up soapy residue and are over-dried. Here's the good news: With a few simple tricks, you can restore your towels to their original softness and help ensure that they never go scratchy again. Use warm water.
Add half-a-cup of baking soda to the detergent compartment, once again leaving out any actual detergent or softener. Then run a standard cycle with your towels as mentioned in step one and let the baking soda work its magic.
Do not add any detergent or fabric softener. Instead, add two cups of distilled white vinegar to the washer drum. The vinegar will help strip away the residue left in the towels that is causing them to feel stiff.
Washing Towels with Vinegar
Use about half the recommended amount of detergent while washing and add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the water during the rinse cycle. The vinegar helps set the colors and removes excess detergent residue.
Baking soda in the laundry can be a great addition for a natural fabric softener or controlling excess suds, while vinegar in laundry can be an amazing agent for getting those whites extra sparkling and banishing mildew odor. They help even the best laundry detergents to be more effective.
For a top-loading washing machine, a hot setting cycle with white vinegar will do the trick. To help prevent soap scum buildup, Gazzo likes to use eco-friendly products like white vinegar instead of fabric softener. “Vinegar won't leave any soap or fat residue on the drums or the drain,” he says.
Most hotels use peroxide-based laundry detergents to keep their sheets and towels bright. While these compounds are extremely successful at preventing white linens from greying or yellowing, they do necessitate some amount of knowledge. When used incorrectly, they might cause damage to your linens.
If you are looking for a 'natural' fabric softener that won't damage your towels (or, indeed, add more chemicals to the water supply), try using white vinegar in your laundry. It can make your towels feel softer without adding a coating, and will leave them smelling surprisingly fresh – and not of vinegar!
If you don't like the idea of using heavily scented commercial fabric softeners but want softer clothes, distilled white vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener and leaves no residue on laundry. Just add 1/2 cup to the final rinse cycle.
Simonelli notes that vinegar is safe to use on most fabrics and materials, but that you should always dilute it with water before adding it to your wash. This is actually why the ingredient is most commonly applied during the rinse cycle, "when there is water already being dispersed," she notes.
Vinegar can:
Brighten your clothes/reduce fading. General cleaning. Be a fabric softener. Remove stains.
“A stiff towel probably means the dryer was too stuffed,” Rapinchuk says. Dryer balls or clean tennis balls can help reduce static and break up clumps. It's also not a bad idea to open the door midway through the cycle and pull apart any tangled towels.
One of the downsides of front loaders (and water-efficient top loaders) is that they can produce stiff, rough or scratchy towels. That's because the towels are generally tumbling through just a little water rather than floating through lots like in an older-style top loader.
Dilute fabric softener: Dilute a small amount of fabric softener in a cup or glass of water. Second rinse: Drop your clothes into clean water, and then move them to one side so you can add the fabric softener. Then stir your clothes in the water for a few minutes to help the fabric softener do its magic.
For Extra-Clean Clothes
“It will help lift dirt and grime from clothing,” says Reichert. Don't put baking soda in your washer's detergent dispenser, however. Instead, sprinkle it into the empty drum of your washer, then add clothes and whatever detergent and fabric softeners you'd normally use.