Fabric softener could be making your towels worse, so swap it out for two natural items (Image: Getty)
There’s nothing better than using a fresh, soft towel after having a shower, but if they aren’t washed correctly, they can become scratchy and musty. This can happen when the wrong cleaning product is used, allowing them to build up the likes of bacteria, body oils and sweat.
Social media star Chef Fatty even explained that washing dirty and smelly towels with fabric softener can actually make them worse. Cleaning fan and TikTok creator Lily recently shared the two-ingredient natural alternative she uses to help revitalise her towels, making them softer. All you’ll need to do is look in your kitchen.
Substitute fabric softener for white vinegar and baking soda (Image: Getty)
How to keep towels soft
Fortunately, Lily’s hack doesn’t require any complicated products. In fact, you can just white vinegar and baking soda from your kitchen cupboard to do the job.
Simply swap out fabric softener for white vinegar in the machine’s drawer. You can also add baking soda to the same compartment in the drawer.
Add your towels and clothes to the washing machine drum, and wash on a regular cycle. The white vinegar and water will work in conjunction with each other to soften the towels.
White vinegar can be used in place of fabric softener as it can help to break down any detergent residue, mineral deposits, or any organic matter that’s come from the body, such as sweat, body oils, and dead skin cells lingering on the towels. These things can make fabrics feel stiff and scratchy.
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This is due to its acetic acid content. Adding vinegar to the washing machine dispenser can work to break down all of the things that can make the towel’s material uncomfortable.
There are also a number of other benefits to using vinegar for regular laundry loads, not just towels. Vinegar can also brighten and whiten light-coloured and white clothes.
It can also banish unwanted mildew smells, as well as unwanted sweat or strong odours. It can even prevent pet hair and lint from clinging to clothes.
Baking soda can also help get rid of any musty smells emanating from your towels, as baking soda is a great natural deodoriser. The baking soda acts as a neutralising agent, helping to absorb any oils which are contributing to the unwanted smells.
Simply add a generous amount of baking soda to the towels before the washing machine before washing the towels on a normal cycle. Baking soda works to remove unwanted smells by neutralising the acidic compounds in the towels that cause the odours. The odour particles are broken down by the baking soda, either making them less smelly, or getting rid of them altogether.
Over time, detergent and softeners coat fibres, trapping bacteria that gives off the unappealing smell. Baking soda breaks this bacteria down.
Baking soda also acts as a natural water softener, allowing detergents to work better and enhancing the fluffiness of towels. This process of adding baking soda to the towels works especially well with odours from the likes of smoke, sweat, and even vomit.
However, if you are going to swap out fabric softener for white vinegar, you should do so with caution. You should make sure that vinegar is used properly, as well as not too often.
Excessive use of vinegar in washing machines can cause damage to fabric or lead to corrosion in the washing machine.
Regular or excessive use of vinegar in the washing machine can cause the rubber parts and the seals of the washing machine to degrade. Alessandro Gazzo, from Emily’s Maids, told Homes & Gardens that it may be better to wash the towels in the hottest setting possible. This will eliminate the need to rinse the towels afterwards.
He said: “I’ve found vinegar goes really well with hot water if you’re washing towels. Hot water helps you with towels or sheets because it dissolves our natural oils and sweat from our body, and kills the types of bacteria that vinegar won’t, which is why they’re items you should always wash in hot water.”
