Has your soft, fluffy towel now turned into what seems to feel like sandpaper against your skin? If the answer is yes, it’s probably because of residue build up from detergent, softener and other laundry products like dryer sheets.

How To Keep Towels Soft

• Don’t use too much Detergent

When doing the laundry in general, you shouldn’t be using too much detergent anyway. To make sure there won’t be detergent residue on your towels, use the right amount or even less than recommended for your washer.

• Wash in hot water

It’s important to wash towels above 40°C not only because it will help kill germs and bacteria but because detergent dissolves better when washed at a warm or hot temperature. This way, detergent residue won’t build up on your towels.

• Don’t use Fabric softener

Although fabric softener is made to make fabrics soft, it does the opposite when used on towels. Towels are made of microfiber, which is how they’re able to absorb and lock in moisture. Adding softener will only coat it with waxy residue, causing it to reduce it’s absorbency qualities overtime.

• Use Vinegar or baking soda

Since you can’t add softener to make towels soft, a great alternative would be to use either white vinegar and/or baking soda. Both work as great natural softeners and are perfect for sensitive skin. Just add 1/2 a cup of white vinegar or baking soda to the rinse cycle in the drawer or in the drum.

Additional tips:

• Wash towels with towels only 
• Don’t overload the machine
• Use the low heat setting if you need to put it in the tumble dryer

Whether you have time to spare or not to wash your towels properly, you can make the process of cleaning towels a lot easier when you use Laundryheap. Just schedule a free laundry collection and we’ll do the rest.