White vinegar can be used to clean a plethora of items, but it can also be used as part of your laundry routine.
This kitchen staple is inexpensive and acts as a disinfectant because of the acetic acid content which can break down bacteria and viruses.
This not only thoroughly cleans but also removes odours, so it’s a good option for older towels that seem to have a faint, lingering damp smell even when freshly cleaned.
Vinegar also removes dirt and oils, enhancing the cleaning power of your detergent, and it doesn’t have the water-repellent effects of fabric conditioner.
This powerful, natural cleaning agent can also break down any laundry detergent or fabric softener build-up that may be leaving towels feeling rough and scratchy.
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Speaking to retailer Secret Linen Store, Sam Whigham of Wilton London claimed that white vinegar is great for “very stiff and scratchy” towels. But how much white vinegar should households be using?
He said: “If your towels are very stiff and scratchy, try adding around 250ml of vinegar to a wash along with your laundry liquid.
“Add it to the washing machine drum just before you load and set the cycle going, don’t worry, it won’t make your washing smell like a bag of chips.”
White vinegar can be used regularly to ensure that your towels remain super fluffy.
Sam also recommends that households hold back on their use of fabric conditioner when washing towels.
He said: “It’s tempting to pour a load in the wash to soften super-stiff towels, but this will only add to the problem. By using too much, it will effectively clog the fibres causing them to dry even stiffer.”
Instead, the laundry expert suggests adding about half a cap of fabric conditioner for most loads, as “this is plenty”. He added: “If you use a small amount regularly, it will soften the fabric over time.”
Sam also explored whether or not tumble dryers should be used when drying towels. On one hand, he argued that a tumble dryer can be a “big help” when softening towels, but he warned that if it is used too much, it can have the opposite effect.
Sam explained: “The rough and tumble of a dryer is excellent for softening towels, yet over-drying is a big cause of the sandpaper effect.”
Instead, he recommends either using a tumble dryer to dry towels straight from the washer, but on a setting that doesn’t completely dry out your towels, as stripping towels of all moisture “makes them rough”.
Another method is to hang towels out to dry and then put them in the tumble dryer for 20 minutes, preferably on a cool setting.
Sam said: “This will help agitate the fibres, stopping them from sticking together, which will result in softer towels.”
