Nothing is worse than doing a big pile of laundry only for your towels to come out feeling stiff and tough, but most people do not realise they are washing them wrong. Towels are designed to be super absorbent, which is why they should never be washing with fabric softener, as the fabric will not be able to rinse off the excess soap.
This will cause a soapy film that will cause any residue to stick to the material, and your towels will become hard and feel rough no matter how many times you wash them. However, the eco-friendly experts at Big Green Smile have shared there is no need to throw away your towels, as you can soften them up again if you wash them with soda crystals.
They said: “If your towels are feeling a bit crunchy, it may be that they’re suffering from lime scale and detergent build-up.
“Try soaking them in a medium strength mixture of soda crystals and warm water. Rinse well, then wash them as normal, with half a cup of white vinegar in the fabric conditioner drawer.”
Soda crystals, also known as washing soda, is a natural household cleaner that is an old-school way to restore clothing that stiffens up in the washing machine.
They are highly alkaline, which means they will break down any acidic residue on towels such as soap, as well as grease and any body oils lingering on the fabric.
This is a really easy way to restore any old or dingy towels, and is also quite cheap as a pack of soda crystals only costs £2 at Tesco and ASDA.
How to restore towels using soda crystals
All you need to do is fill a basin or bathtub with hot water, then add a few tablespoons of soda crystals.
Stir the soda crystals a little so they break down in the water, then leave the towels to soak for around one hour, or even leave them overnight.
After soaking, wring the towels out so they do not drip water all over your home, and then place them in washing machine.
Add laundry detergent like you normally would, but instead of using fabric softener pour one tablespoon of white vinegar into the detergent drawer. White vinegar is acidic and is a natural way to break down limescale if you live in a hard water area, and is also known to deep clean fabric which will also help soften the towel fibres.
Once the wash is done hang the towels up to dry or sick them on a low heat in a tumble dryer, and when they are ready they will be feel incredibly soft again.