How to Take the Best Care of Your Towels

Created: Friday, 22 September 2023 13:02

When you get your new towels, you're going to want to take care of them to help them last longer and stay luxurious. Constant cycles with detergents and fabric softeners can damage your towels or make them less absorbent and useful. Taking good care of towels is easy with these tips:

Use the Right Detergent

Make sure your detergent works with your washing machine to ensure the most effective wash cycles. Some brands work for both regular and high-efficiency machines, but some have different products for each machine.

You should also only add the recommended amount of detergent. While you might think adding more detergent makes linens cleaner, it does more harm than good. Too much detergent means the rinse cycle won't run long enough to rinse all the soap away.

Laundry soap leaves a residue on the towel and can trap odor. The drying cycle will make your towels stiff. When you pull your towels out, they won't feel plush and might smell musty. If you use them, they won't absorb moisture well.

Add Vinegar

Your towels with vibrant colors will set if you wash them with half the normal amount of detergent and about one cup of vinegar. The vinegar helps preserve the colors and remove detergent residue.

Wash Consistently

Wash your towels every three to four days for personal use. After just one use, the towel has picked up some dirt, dust and skin particles. The best towel is always a freshly laundered one. If you're regularly washing your towels but can't seem to get rid of the musty smell, perhaps it's time to try a vinegar and baking soda rinse, using these steps: 

1. Load your towels into the washer. 
2. Add a cup of vinegar where the detergent goes. Don't add any detergent. 
3. Run the washer. 

After this process is complete, leave the clothes in the washer and add a cup of baking soda where the detergent goes. Once again, don't add detergent. After the rinse cycle is complete, tumble-dry on low heat.

Go Easy on the Fabric Softener

Try spreading out your fabric softener uses or avoiding it for towels altogether. Another option is not to use the recommended amount of fabric softener and go with less. Too much fabric softener leaves a residue on the towel that will negatively affect the fibers and make your towel scratchy and less absorbent.

You could use alternatives to fabric softener that still get the same results. Add dryer balls or clean tennis balls when you're using the dryer. As the balls bounce around inside the dryer, they smooth out the fabric. 

Don't Overload the Washer and Dryer

Adding too many towels to a washer will prevent the towels from getting clean. As they fold or clump together, any dirt or dust particles in the folds won't be able to wash out. Specks of detergent will cling to your towels if the rinse cycle can't properly clean them.

The same principle goes with your dryer. Overloading a dryer prevents everything from drying properly. You can run it for a longer time, but this will cost time and money. If you take towels out of the dryer and put them away while they're still damp, the moisture will help bacteria grow and make your towels stale and unsanitary.

Shake Your Towels

Give your towels a shake before loading them into the dryer so they dry evenly. Shaking also fluffs the fabric loops and keeps the towels absorbent. If you don't shake your towels before putting them in the dryer, the process will iron any creases or folds from the washer.