Towels often become rigid and uncomfortable to touch over time, but many people do not realise that washing them wrong. A common laundry mistake is using fabric softener to clean towels, as they are super absorbent and their fibres will trap soap instead of cleaning them properly. 

With each wash, more soap will cause towels to stiffen up and become harder to clean, as residues from things like sunscreen, body lotions, and sweat also build up in the fabric. Luckily, Michelle Dickson, a home expert and co-founder of Sunnyside Home, has shared that restoring towels to their “fresh, fluffy state” is very easy, as you only need a few common household items. 

Michelle said: “To deep clean your towels, you’ll need white vinegar to break down residue and kill bacteria, and baking soda to eliminate odours and boost freshness.”

White vinegar is acidic and will loosen any residue stuck in your towels while also deep cleaning them so they come out of the wash much softener. 

Baking soda helps the laundry detergent thoroughly clean towels and is one of the best ways to remove any greasy buildup in your towels, like sweat or body oils. 

However, both white vinegar and baking soda cannot be added to the washing machine at the same time, as they will neutralise each other and begin to fizz to create salty water. 

Instead, it is much more effective to do two quick washes. First, put your towels in the washing machine, then add baking soda along with your laundry detergent. 

Place the towels on a hot wash of at least 60C and this first washing cycle will break down any residue stuck in the fabric. 

It is also worth making sure you are using a gentle laundry detergent, as some liquid ones can contain harsher chemicals that will also leave a residue after washing. Powdered detergents can also leave towel buildup if you are using a cold wash, as they will not dissolve properly. 

Michelle said: “I prefer to use concentrated Norwex laundry detergent, which is free from phosphates and fillers, and it does an amazing job dissolving grease, grime and dirt to get your laundry cleaner and brighter.”

Once the wash is done, add white vinegar to the detergent drawer where you normally would add your fabric softener and put the towels on another hot wash. 

When the second wash is done, your towels should already feel much cleaner and softener. Next, simply hang them up to dry in the sun or place them on a low heat in a tumble dryer.

After they have dried, your towels will be super fluffy again and thoroughly cleaned, so you do not have to worry about taking a scratchy towel to the beach this summer.