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Why You Shouldn't Use Fabric Softener on Towels

Fabric softener is excellent for many things. It keeps clothing fresh, soft and static-free and helps it retain its shape and color. Everyone likes fluffy, clean-scented laundry, and one of the most luxurious feelings is drying off with a soft towel. On the other hand, one of the worst feelings is toweling off with a dry, rigid towel.

Many factors contribute to non-absorbent towels. The most common ones are improper washing and drying methods, using fabric softener for towels and product accumulation. This guide will explain if you can use fabric softener on towels and what the alternatives to fabric softener are. It will also offer a few washing and drying tips to help your towels stay soft and clean and maintain their quality. 

Is Fabric Softener Bad for Towels? 

While fabric softener is not bad for your laundry, it can be bad for your towels. People commonly use liquid fabric softeners during the wash cycle alongside detergent. It conditions the laundry, so it is fluffy, fresh-smelling and static-resistant. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the active ingredient in most fabric softeners. However, PDMS is a silicone oil that destroys absorbent properties. 

The oil in the fabric softener latches on to clothing and creates a coating. Towels absorb water, but oil repels it. When an oil coating attaches to a towel, it causes the fibers to become greasy and slippery, which hinders its absorbency. When the soapy residue of fabric softener builds up on the towel, it causes it to become stiff instead of soft. 

Fabric softener is not the only laundry product that contains PDMS. It is frequently found in dryer sheets as well. Drying towels with dryer sheets can destroy their absorbency for the same reason washing them with fabric softener can. Cutting fabric softener and dryer sheets out of your wash and dry routine for your towels will help keep them absorbent. 

You may wonder how to keep towels soft without fabric softener and dryer sheets. Below are various methods and tips you can use to keep your towels fluffy and absorbent. 

How to Keep Bath Towels Soft and Fluffy

Many believe to keep towels soft and fluffy, you need fabric softener and dryer sheets. As mentioned above, fabric softener and dryer sheets contain PDMS, which will coat the towel fibers and cause them to lose absorbency and become stiff and scratchy. It is best not to use these products when washing or drying towels. 

You can use alternatives to substitute for dryer sheets and fabric softeners. These alternatives work the same, but with the added benefit of not making your towels less absorbent and rigid. There are also many tips for washing towels that will help you keep them plush and clean. 

1. Wash Your Towels More Often

It is recommended to wash bath towels after three uses, as long as they are properly dried. Hanging up your towel is the only way for it to dry correctly. Towels have to dry, or they will grow bacteria, viruses and mold. They can easily accumulate mold and bacteria growth when damp and left in a humid environment.

You should wash hand towels every day or every other day to prevent the spread of germs. This frequent laundering can eventually decrease the absorbency of a towel by breaking down the fibers. The best way to avoid this issue is by rotating out your towels and hand towels. This will give the towels a break in between washes. 

When you buy new towels, you should wash them on their own before use. New towels are more likely to create lint, which will collect on your other towels. Additionally, many manufacturers pre-treat new towels with a silicone coating, which blocks absorbency. Washing them before use will remove this coating, allowing for maximum absorption. New colored towels also transfer dye easier, so washing them in a separate load before use prevents them from transferring dye to other linens.

Aside from washing towels more frequently, you must also wash them separately. Towels are bulky and produce lint that will collect on your other laundry. You should never wash cotton, bamboo, polyester blend or any other type of linen material with microfiber or corduroy because these fabrics attract lint. Besides the lint, towels hold water, so overloading the dryer with wet towels can prevent your other items from drying.

You can also do an extra rinse and spin cycle when you wash towels separately. This will help remove any accumulated detergent, preventing towels from losing their absorbency and becoming stiff. 

2. Hang Damp Towels

If you intend to reuse your hand towel or bath towel, you must hang it up after use so it can dry properly. Damp towels create a warm, welcoming environment for many microorganisms. When you reuse a towel that has retained moisture, you might re-introduce yourself to these bacteria, viruses and funguses. A dry towel won't breed as many microorganisms, so you can reuse it safely up to three times. 

Aside from bacteria, viruses and funguses, wet towels are susceptible to mold and mildew. While removing mold and mildew from a bath towel is possible, it is best to prevent it from becoming an issue. 

Mildew happens when harmful bacteria evolve. In towels, this occurs when they are wet for long periods. This can happen when you don't hang your towel up to dry or throw a damp towel in the laundry pile or basket to wash it later. If you don't wash the towel that day, it can develop mildew and a musty odor.   

3. Use Less Detergent 

Towels don't need too many products during the wash. When you use too much detergent, it coats the towels and leaves residue behind, causing them to feel stiff and scratchy. Using less detergent reduces the residue and prevents buildup, keeping your towels soft. Check the directions for your detergent to see the recommended amount per load size. 

In addition to using less detergent in the wash, you should decrease the wash temperature. The ideal water temperature for towels is warm or cool. This temperature won't damage cotton fibers like hot water will. It will also prevent residue buildup by increasing detergent absorbency. The exception to this rule is white towels, which should be washed in hot water rather than warm or cool. 

Different fabrics require different wash temperatures, so read the product label to determine the best water temperature. Following the care instructions will maintain your towels' quality for years to come. 

4. Dry the Towels on a Low Heat Setting

The high heat setting on the dryer can damage cotton towels regardless of their quality. It will burn the fibers, causing the towel to flatten and never become soft again. So, using a low heat setting is better to prevent this damage and keep the towels fluffy. 

If you are worried the towels are too wet to dry, you can shake them out before placing them in the dryer. Shaking your towels out will fluff the fibers, aiding in absorbency. It also prevents them from bunching up in the dryer, lessening drying time. Towels take longer to dry than clothes because of their thickness, so you must ensure they are fully dry before folding them. A slightly damp towel is susceptible to mold. 

You should allow your towels to air dry occasionally instead of always drying in the dryer. You can use the air dry setting on your dryer or hang your towels to dry in the sun. However, remember that the sun can bleach or fade certain fabrics, so a spot in the shade may be better to keep colored towels bright.

When using the dryer, avoid over-drying your towels or overloading your dryer. Over-drying your towels can damage the fibers and decrease absorbency. Washing and drying too large of a load will prevent your towels from becoming clean and increase the dry time. The towels won't have room to spin around in the washer and rinse properly. In the dryer, they won't be able to fluff up or dry and will clump together.  

 

5. Use an Alternative for Fabric Softener

Fabric softener isn't necessary to keep your towels soft, and using it will decrease their absorbency. When its residue builds up on the towel fibers, it will make your towels stiff and scratchy. Instead of fabric softener, you can use vinegar or baking soda to keep your towels plush without affecting their quality. 

Vinegar removes soap, detergent or fabric softener residue on your towels. The residue is what causes towels to feel rigid instead of soft. Vinegar is a natural fabric softener, so adding vinegar to your wash cycle will make your towels more absorbent and fluffy.   

Since vinegar has a strong scent, many worry that it will make their clothes smell sour, but it does the opposite. Vinegar deodorizes fabrics by cleaning them and killing odor-causing bacteria during the wash cycle. It won't leave an odor on your laundry or in your washer. Instead, it will keep your washer and laundry clean and smelling fresh. 

Avoid bleach when using vinegar because mixing them releases toxic gas called chlorine gas, which can be potentially lethal. In general, bleach should only be used as a last resort to remove stains. If used occasionally, it can kill bacteria, but when you use too much bleach, it will dry out and weaken the towel fibers, ultimately reducing absorbency. 

Baking soda is common in many households, and it works wonders on towels. It makes them softer by loosening the fibers and eliminating residue, and it removes musty odors from towels left in a hamper for too long, leaving your towels smelling fresh. 

If you have white towels, baking soda will lighten them slightly. Between these two options, baking soda is a better choice for white towels, while vinegar is perfect for colored towels. 

6. Use an Alternative for Dryer Sheets

Dryer sheets make clothes smell fresh, soften fabrics and reduce static and lint. However, it does this by coating the materials in an oil. The oil is the same as the one used in fabric softener and reduces the towels' absorbency. Wool dryer balls, tennis balls and aluminum foil are great alternatives for dryer sheets.  

  • Wool dryer balls: Wool dryer balls soften towels and leave a light fragrance. They do this by agitating the towels while they dry. If you want your clothes to smell wonderful, soaking the dryer balls in an essential oil before you use them will leave your clothes smelling just like you used a scented dryer sheet. If you want a more potent fragrance, you can dampen a washcloth, wring it out and add a few drops of essential oil instead of applying it to the dryer balls. 
  • Tennis balls: Tennis balls will prevent the towels from clumping together, collect lint and reduce static. Ensure the tennis ball is clean before you use it, or it won't have the intended effect. 
  • Aluminum foil: If you'd rather not use tennis balls, you can make your own dryer balls using aluminum foil and pair them with your wool dryer balls. The aluminum will reduce static and cling, and the wool dryer balls can work to soften and leave a fragrance.  

Shop Towel Super Center Today

Towel Super Center is a leading wholesale towel supplier. We provide our customers with a wide selection of premium and economy towels, linens and sheets with discount bulk pricing and fast shipping. The terry towels we offer are all 100% cotton. Cotton is the best material for bathrooms and shower areas because of its softness and durability. When you buy our cotton towels, you are investing in a product that will last for years and maintain its superior quality for a great price.

Our customers include businesses such as hotels, spas, salons and other successful enterprises that need a reliable relationship with a wholesale towel supplier. Because of this, we have a variety of towel types to fit many needs. We offer many towels, including salon towels, hand towels, gym towels, fingertip towels, golf towels, washcloths and bath towels, sheets, mats. All of our towels are: 

  • Durable and absorbent: Other towels break down with frequent washings, but we know our clients need to wash their towels often, so ours are more durable. Using the right washing and drying methods, they will retain their softness, fluffiness, appearance and shape without losing absorbency.
  • High-quality: We offer towels and lines in a wide range of styles and sizes, all top-quality. Some of the towels we offer include black luxury towels, striped towels, colorful towels, white economy towels and fingertip towels. 
  • Soft and fluffy: Our towels stay soft and silky after washing and drying numerous times. Your customers will love the way our towels pamper their skin. 
  • Affordable: We offer tiered pricing based on the type of product you want and the amount you need. We also package our orders tightly, so you save on shipping costs.

Browse our selection of towels and find the ones that best suit your needs. 

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