It's the age-old fight against crusty towels!
Towels… they’re soft, fluffy clouds when we buy them… and within weeks they’re exfoliating like a loofah; so just how exactly can we keep our towels soft without resorting to the use of a tumble dryer???
tips to soften towels & avoid crunchy towels:
1. swap to capsules.
Lots of us might think more detergent means a deeper clean… but it’s often not the case.
Using loose powder or bottles of liquid means we’re often overdosing our laundry with too much detergent.
And too much detergent can mean a lot of soapy residue gets left behind in our towels. It will make the fabric feel stiff and tough and stop it from absorbing water. On top of this, if you’re using a laundry powder, and it doesn’t all dissolve… it’s going to deposit into the fibres of the towel causing even more stiffness!
One beauty of a smol capsule is that the dose is pre-measured so you can’t pour in too much. Problem solved.
2. soften the water.
Lots of us in the UK live in hard water areas and this can mean small mineral deposits on our clothing and towels when we wash them.
Adding 2 cups of clear white vinegar into your fabric softener drawer compartment can counteract against the hard water effect.
Don’t worry about the smell - there won’t be one. It has a great softening effect on fabrics and also helps clean out your machine preventing those musty damp smells that can build up. It also helps to strip out any of the detergent build up mentioned in our first top tip.
3. turn down the temperature.
Modern detergents don’t necessarily need the hot wash temperatures we used to use, in fact if you’re using a bio detergent it’s best to wash below 40°C so you don’t destroy the enzymes.
Too high a temperature can damage towel fibres which can make them feel harsher on the skin.
4. don’t overload your washing machine.
Yes, we want full loads of laundry to save money and carbon but if the washing machine drum is overly stuffed with towels they won’t wash well or rinse well. You’ll be battling even more detergent residue AND they probably won’t have been washed very well.
A 7kg drum should take around 10 towels so if your drum size is smaller you should adjust the numbers accordingly.
5. an acid bath!
Finally, you can always try a separate citric acid bath for your towels.
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Pop on your rubber gloves and add ¼ cup of citric acid to half a bath of hot water. Stir until dissolved.
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Put your towels in the solution and let them soak for 15 minutes.
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Drain the bath.
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Run cold water into the bath to rinse the towels.
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Drain the bath. Ring out towels. Wash and dry them as usual.
And when you’re line drying your towels - bring them in whilst still slightly damp. Give them a good old shake and this will help to fluff out the fibres. Leave them to dry that last little bit inside then put them away once fully dry.
And there you have it! Those tips should keep your towels as soft and fluffy as a cloud.
Not made the switch to smol’s plastic-free, carbon cutting laundry capsules just yet?
Take the free trial and see what all the fuss is about; vegan and cruelty-free laundry with results to match the big brands!
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