Laundry day may be one of your most dreaded days, but it needs to be done. You need to wash, dry, and fold your clothes, sheets, pillowcases, and other items in your hamper. Smaller items are relatively easier to manage than sheets and pillows, but have you ever struggled to keep your towels soft after repeated washes?

Since towels are meant to be absorbent, they tend to easily get stiff and rough on the skin after you wash them several times. This issue may be from using the wrong type or amount of washing detergent and fabric softener. 

Proper Way to Wash, Dry, and Fold Towels

Here are some tips on how to properly care for your towels:

Overloading your washing machine is a big DON’T.

Your laundry should be able to freely move around and properly soak in your washing machine. Overloading your machine results in improper soaking of detergent, softener, and water. Some items may be soaking up all the water and laundry products while others might just barely have any products on them at all.

On top of ruining your towel, overloading your washing machine slows down the laundry process. An overloaded machine will take longer to finish the job and it will take more of your time and a lot of your electricity.

If you are planning to wash more than one towel in your machine, make sure that the maximum is five large towels per cycle.

Add baking soda.

Adding half a cup of baking soda into the wash can help you get rid of tough stains like grease. It can also help you neutralize or remove odors from your towels. Since baking soda is non-toxic, it will work not only on your towel but on most fabrics as well.

Set the temperature at 30 degrees.

Different fabrics require different care. Some fabrics need to be washed in cold water, but your towels need to be at 30 degrees to maintain their fluffiness. Any higher than 30 degrees may help prevent bacteria build-up or help remove stains on the fabric but will make the towel stiffer. 

Use vinegar when rinsing your towel.

Vinegar is a good alternative to fabric softener. White vinegar is affordable, eco-friendly, and it will help you soften your towels.

Vinegar can break down any debris or chemical remnants in the fabric. It will prevent any gradual buildup that may stiffen up your towels. All you need to do is to add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle and it will help your towels stay fluffy through multiple wash cycles.

Worried about the smell? You’d be pleased to know that after the drying cycle, the sour vinegar smell will disappear.

Tumble dry your towels.

Did you know that the method you use for drying your towels can affect their softness over time? To keep your towels soft and avoid stiffness– tumble drying is recommended.

Do not rush the process. Towels are much bigger than your t-shirts, so it naturally takes longer to dry. Wait until your towels are completely dry before you remove them from the dryer.

Pro tip: If you want to save money or energy, let your towels dry on a drying rack. Then, tumble dry them for 5-10 minutes.

The Takeaway

Towels are more challenging to wash, dry, and fold compared to smaller articles of clothes. The tips above will help you maintain the quality of your towel with less stress and hassle. But of course, nothing beats wash, dry, and fold laundry services when it comes to achieving hassle-free laundry days. What can be more stress-free than having your laundry done by experts while you focus on other things?

Learn more about affordable, fast, and efficient laundry services here.

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