It’s nice to wrap your body in a soft, fluffy terry towel after bathing procedures. But, unfortunately, terry very quickly loses its attractive appearance and properties to absorb moisture.
What to do with washed terry towels, how to wash them at home?
Knowing some secrets and rules will help you quickly solve the problem and return the terry cloth to a clean, fresh look and softness.
How to wash different types of towels
The material from which the towel is made determines its purpose. For example, terry products absorb moisture well, but they need special care so as not to lose their properties.
Kitchen
Towels for household needs can be washed using folk remedies.
For example, a saline solution is often used (10 large spoons per bowl of water). The product is soaked for an hour and then washed in a machine. To remove stains from fruits and vegetables without boiling, you can use a combination of soap and lemon. First you need to soap the stains, then rub with a piece of citrus. After 5 minutes, you need to rinse the item.
Bleaching begins with soaking the product, and the water temperature should not be high. A suitable powder is poured into the compartment and ¾ cup of bleach is poured. It is recommended to wash light-colored materials at high temperatures, and for colored ones set to 60°C.
Bath waffles
They are machine washable:
- for white fabrics the temperature is 60°C, and for colored fabrics – 40°C;
- Light-colored products can be bleached using both folk and professional means.
When washing items, it is permissible to turn on the automatic spin cycle. In addition, waffle towels can be ironed with a hot iron without steaming.
Terry
Proper washing is carried out at low temperatures of 30-40°C, and you cannot set the “water saving” mode. In addition, it is important to use high-quality gels and conditioners so that detergents do not settle on the fibers.
Advice. To keep the towel fluffy, you should throw plastic laundry balls along with the product into the drum of the machine. They fluff up the loops and prevent them from “sticking” to the fabric.
How to wash a washed terry towel by hand?
Washing things by hand has a number of advantages, since you can monitor the entire process and, if necessary, add any ingredients to the water that will help soften the towels effectively and efficiently. To thoroughly wash washed, dirty terry products, you must proceed in the following sequence:
- Fill the bath with warm water. It is better not to use washing bowls, as terry cloth absorbs water strongly.
- Dilute any of the liquid detergents in water.
- If the water is very hard, you can add vinegar (1-2 cups per 1/3 bath).
- Wash the towel.
- Leave to sour in soapy water for 30 minutes.
- Drain dirty soapy water.
- Rinse the towel well under strong water pressure to remove all the detergent from the fibers.
- Fill the bath with clean warm water.
- Pour a small amount of salt into the water. It will help fluff the terry well and make it softer.
- Leave the towel in the water for 30 minutes.
- Rinse the product in salt water.
- Drain the water.
- Unscrew very carefully.
- Hang outside to dry.
Household chemicals for washing and adding softness
To eliminate grayness and add whiteness, bleaches are used:
- Chlorine-containing. The best products are Vanish and Rocket Soap - they are effective at low temperatures, but damage the fabric structure with frequent use.
- Oxygen. This chemistry is suitable for all materials. Popular brands are Ecodoo and Ludwik.
- Optical. They contain reflective particles that give the product whiteness. As a rule, such products are part of oxygen products.
Vanish, Amway, Ecover stain removers are aimed at removing specific stains from coffee, dirt, tea, and blood. To restore the softness of towels, you can use the German product Lenor - reviews about it are mostly positive. Gel Laska also gives softness and tenderness to the product and is suitable for all types of fabrics.
Special bleaches
The terry surface requires delicate care. Wash it incorrectly can make it a hard, scratchy item. Whiteness can be restored the first time, just choose the right product.
Quick removal of yellowness is guaranteed by bleaches based on:
- Chlorine. A characteristic feature is a sharp, pungent odor. Chlorine removes any stains, disinfects, and returns the white tint. Synthetic fabric, on the contrary, can turn brown or yellow.
- Oxygen. The product removes dirt, whitens, and does not have an unpleasant odor. Suitable for both manual and automatic washing. A distinctive feature of active oxygen is the loss of effectiveness after the expiration date.
Advice! Any color insert can be color checked. Regular use has a negative effect on the material. Recommended for hand washing.
The following rules guarantee a successful washing result:
- high temperature conditions can be used for towels made of natural material;
- white products are processed separately from colored ones;
- active oxygen is the basis of effective bleaches.
Bath towels should be shaken before being put into the drum of the washing machine - this will straighten the pile and improve the result. A terry towel must not be washed together with wardrobe items equipped with zippers and locks, otherwise damage cannot be avoided.
Traditional methods
Time-tested folk recipes also help remove stains from towels. Before preparing solutions, wear protective gloves to avoid irritation of the skin of your hands.
Ammonia against coffee stains
At the pharmacy you can buy a universal solution for removing difficult stains - ammonia. It needs to be mixed with water in equal proportions, then applied to the dirt and left for an hour and a half. Next, the towel is soaked with the powder for 30 minutes and washed in the usual way.
Anti-fruit stain hair shampoo
First, hot water is filled into a basin and the towels are soaked in it. After this, the products are wrung out, and shampoo is foamed on the stains. After half an hour they are washed in a machine or by hand.
Soap for odor
Laundry soap is a universal product suitable for washing clothes, home textiles and towels. It helps to renew the appearance and remove the unpleasant odor that appears on towels due to mold and various contaminants.
First you need to prepare a solution of soapy water and potassium permanganate. The towels are washed and left overnight in a basin. In the morning you should rinse the products well.
Attention! There is no need to pour in a lot of potassium permanganate - the solution should turn out light pink. Otherwise, the towels may become stained, and it is difficult to remove the color of potassium permanganate.
Hydrogen peroxide
First, dirty towels should be washed with powder or gel.
Next, prepare a solution from the following ingredients: We recommend:
How to remove putty from clothes
- hot water (approximately 70°C) – 6 l;
- peroxide – 50 ml;
- ammonia – 25 g.
The products should be soaked in a basin for half an hour, squeezed out and rinsed to remove the product from the fibers.
Soap and silicate glue
For cooking you will need 1 tbsp. l. silicate office glue, a piece of laundry soap and 10 liters of water. Boil towels in the solution and then rinse them.
Attention! The product must be washed thoroughly so that the glue is completely removed from the fabric fibers.
Chemicals for washing dishes
Such products are especially effective for washing kitchen towels, since a lot of grease accumulates on them. Simply drip a little gel onto the stains and leave overnight. After this, you need to wash it off and wash the towel.
Advice. Dishwashing detergents foam well, so you should rinse the product thoroughly under running water.
Care
To make terry towels soft and pleasant to the body, they need to be properly cared for. Let's look at the rules for caring for these things:
- Do not keep a terry towel wet for a long time, as it will acquire an unpleasant odor and mold may form as a result.
- Don't throw your towel in the laundry basket with other dirty items. Terry can quickly absorb moisture and unpleasant odors.
- Wash dirty terry towels immediately to prevent dirt from being absorbed into the fibers of the fabric.
- Due to excessive dryness, terry becomes hard, so it is not advisable to dry such things near heating devices.
Washing towels of different colors
Different washing methods are used for white and colored fabrics. The fact is that colored products can turn pale, which negatively affects their external qualities.
The following methods are suitable for white towels:
- Laundry soap. First you need to soap the problem areas and put the product in a plastic bag, tying it tightly. You need to wait 8 hours and then wash it in a washing machine. This method allows you to both bleach terry towels that have been washed and lost their softness, and remove difficult stains from products made from other materials.
- Sunflower oil. You need to add a little product to the powder - this will return whiteness to white fabrics.
It is better to wash colored material at 40°C to prevent the color from fading. A mixture of 0.5 cups of salt and 1 tsp. ammonia helps refresh the color and remove old stains. You can also use a solution of 50 g of mustard powder and 1 liter of warm water. It is enough to soak the towel overnight.
Advice. It is recommended to look at the product label, which provides information on the washing mode, water temperature and suitable products.
Useful tips
- If your terry towels become stiff after washing, you can soak them in clean water overnight to remove any remaining detergent. In the morning, rinse, squeeze lightly and hang to dry in fresh air.
- If elongated loops appear on the product, you should not try to straighten them, it is better to simply cut off the problematic threads. The towel is not a knitted product, but a woven one, so when cutting the threads, nothing will happen to it, it will not unravel.
We looked at how to wash white clothes in a washing machine. How to wash by hand? Let's look at this next.
Options for using towel washing methods for other items
It is possible to return the color and wash a washed terry robe as a towel, but you need to pay attention to the decor of the product. For example, when washing in a machine, it is recommended to turn the robe inside out so as not to damage the buttons and drum.
Tips for washing towels are universal, so they can be used to treat clothes. However, first of all you need to pay attention to the features of the material and read the label on the product.
With the help of folk remedies, you can both wash washed terry towels at home and restore the whiteness and brightness of color to products for household needs. Bleach and fabric softener are also used to remove difficult stains. Sales consultants in household chemical stores can help you choose the right product depending on the purpose of washing and the material.
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A few tricks
- To keep your towels clean longer, add potato starch when rinsing.
- Iron dry kitchen textiles.
- To eliminate unpleasant odors from vinegar, ammonia and plain soap, use fabric softener. If you don't trust professional chemistry, use essential oils. When rinsing, add a couple drops of essential oil to the water.
- Do not boil products with a pattern, it will spoil.
- Do not use terry towels in the kitchen. They quickly become dirty, which causes a lot of pathogenic microflora to multiply between the fibers.
- Immediately after using bath towels, dry them thoroughly.
Bleaching towels is not difficult, the main thing is to choose the right method and means.
Vegetable oil
Vegetable oil will help wash dirty kitchen towels. It softens dirt and copes well with stubborn stains.
Dissolve 2 tbsp in 5 liters of boiling water. l. vegetable oil, washing powder and dry stain remover (you can use shavings of laundry soap instead). Soak the laundry until the solution cools completely. After the procedure, wash the towels as usual. If the laundry is heavily soiled, you can soak it for several hours.
To get rid of stains on kitchen towels, you can use both sunflower and olive oil.
Lemon acid
Citric acid will help remove stains and whiten kitchen towels. This way you can get rid of traces of tomato sauce and beets, as well as old stains.
Wash the towels, wring them out and sprinkle citric acid on the stains. Leave for impact. Fresh stains need 10-15 minutes, old stains will need about 1 hour. After the procedure, shake off the acid and rinse the towels.
Citric acid will help get rid of old stains and whiten kitchen towels
Vinegar
You can remove grease, rust and mold from kitchen towels using table vinegar. Soak kitchen towels in vinegar (6% or 9%) for 15-20 minutes. Using a soft toothbrush, scrub particularly dirty areas and wash the laundry as usual.
Vinegar will help get rid of grease, rust and mold on kitchen towels.
We bleach sparingly
Clean, fresh towels are the decoration of the house and the pride of the hostess. Cotton, waffle and terry products have proven themselves to be the best. They withstand the inevitable boiling, frequent washing, ironing, bleaching, absorb moisture well and dry quickly.
Of course, you can use expensive store-bought bleaches and stain removers, but kitchen towels themselves are usually inexpensive, and I’d like to save on washing costs. Therefore, housewives are coming up with new methods to whiten towels at home, mixing the most available ingredients.
