It is impossible to imagine our life without towels. We use them several times every day. The most favorite, of course, are terry towels. They absorb water well, are durable and soft. But, with improper care, over time terry towels lose their original properties and become hard and rough. This can be avoided by proper washing and drying of items.
In this article we will talk about what mode and water temperature to choose for washing towels, what cleaning agent to use, how to return the product to its original appearance or bleach it, and what rules should be followed when drying.
How often to wash towels
Depending on the type of towels, the intervals between washing them will vary. Kitchen towels require the most frequent washing because they are used most often. It is recommended to wash them every few days. Towels for face and feet - twice a week. Baths and hands – once a week. These time limits only apply if you dry the towel thoroughly after use. A damp product will begin to smell damp the next day and will have to be replaced.
Regular washing of towels allows you not only to maintain hygiene rules, but also to prevent the formation of complex old stains. Terry towels are especially sensitive to stubborn stains and will quickly become unusable.
How to wash towels in a washing machine
The first thing you need to look for when washing is the manufacturer's label. It has all the necessary information. If the shortcut is not saved, use our simple tips:
- Place items made from the same material in the washing machine. Velor, bamboo, terry, waffle and synthetic towels are best washed separately. After all, different types of fabrics have their own washing parameters.
- Do not mix contrasting colors in the same wash.
- Fill the machine no more than 2/3 of the total volume. It is important for towels to absorb as much water as possible when washing, and fully loading the drum will prevent this from happening.
- Use double or triple rinses.
- Choose a mode with a minimum number of revolutions during spinning or without spinning.
What laundry detergents should I use?
The general recommendation for all types of towels is to use gel cleaners with the obligatory addition of fabric softeners and fabric softeners.
Terry towels work well with products used on delicate fabrics to keep them soft. Using classic powder is highly undesirable - particles of the product will remain in the pile, and it will not be easy to wash them out. In addition, the powder thins the fabric and causes the pile to stick together.
Colored towels should not be washed with bleach or stain removers. In this case, white spots may remain on the material, and the color will lose its brightness.
For white towels, it is possible to use environmentally friendly bleach without chlorine, otherwise they will become harsh and unpleasant for the skin.
What mode should you use to wash towels?
The longer the pile of the towel, the more gentle the washing mode should be chosen. The best washing modes are delicate or manual; the “wool” mode is also good. If your car has a fast mode, select it. Do not wash towels on cycles that save water. It is important to wet these products as much as possible, rinse 2-3 times and wring out at a minimum number of revolutions or not wring out at all.
What temperature to choose for washing
Bath towels do not withstand high temperatures well and become hard and rough. The water temperature when washing terry, velor and bamboo towels should not exceed 60 degrees. This is the maximum value and is recommended to be used only in cases of heavy contamination. Washing at a temperature of 30-40 degrees will be optimal. Colored towels should always be washed at a maximum temperature of 40 degrees, otherwise their shade will fade. White – up to 60 degrees. For kitchen waffle makers, a temperature of 90 degrees is acceptable.
Sorting
This is the first and very important stage of washing. Sort all products according to four criteria:
- By color. Whites should not be washed with colours, otherwise they may stain easily. But if there are stains, such towels can be boiled or used bleach.
- According to the composition of the fibers. Study the product label for its ingredients. Typically, terry towels are made from cotton, less often from linen. Nowadays you can find bamboo products on sale. They are particularly soft and silky, but their price is higher. Polyester is sometimes added to natural fibers to reduce production costs. Such towels will be stronger and last much longer, while maintaining all the advantages of a natural item (provided that the percentage of polyester is no more than 20).
- By purpose. Never wash kitchen and bath towels together, even if they are similar in composition and color. Specific odors that kitchen utensils have absorbed can remain even after several washes, and bath towels can absorb them. They can also contain a huge number of microbes.
- According to the degree of pollution. Do not wash heavily soiled items with other items. First, all stains must be treated and washed.
Why do terry towels become rough?
We love terry towels for their softness, fluffiness and instant moisture absorption. But if you care for the product incorrectly, it will quickly lose its properties.
The main mistakes that lead to loss of softness:
- Wash with classic powder. The best means for washing towels are gels. Abrasive particles in regular powder spoil the pile and gradually thin the product. Be sure to add rinse aids and conditioners when washing.
- Hard water. In many cities, especially in megalopolises, there are a lot of foreign impurities in the water. When washing towels, be sure to add water softener and conditioner.
- Wrong washing temperature. The higher the temperature, the stiffer your towel will become. Terry fabrics cannot be washed in hot water, much less boiled.
- Spin at high speeds. For terry towels, it is optimal to choose no more than 400 revolutions or not to use a spin cycle at all.
- Bleaching with products containing chlorine.
- Staying in the laundry basket for a long time.
- Ironing.
Important!
Even if you follow all the care instructions, they can still become stiff and thin if they were originally made from poor quality material. We recommend that you choose towels with a pile of medium length and good density.
Reasons for hard towels
Let's start with the fact that making towels soft is not just an urgent problem that is solved differently in each individual family. The global scale is visible here. Let's take the tourism, sports and hotel businesses as examples. For hotel administrators, hotel managers, and directors who own sports complexes, it is important that their clients remain satisfied with the service provided.
Hygiene items must meet basic requirements.
The cleanliness and softness of the towels comes first.
Now let's determine why towels become hard.
First of all:
- Due to a disrupted washing process;
- Improper rinsing;
- Use of inappropriate auxiliary products (powders, gels);
- Due to washing in low quality water.
- Due to subsequent improper ironing.
Over time, the pile of terry fabric begins to settle, becoming denser and deformed, as a result of which the product loses its original fluffiness.
How to make towels soft
Terry or bamboo towels, which we most often use in the bathroom, become hard if used incorrectly. To return the product to its original softness, you can use special softening agents or time-tested folk methods.
A few lifehacks for softening towels:
- Salt the water and soak the product in it for half an hour before washing.
- Add hair shampoo to the machine and wash the towel on a delicate cycle.
- Mix laundry detergent and sea salt and wash the towel. Salt in combination with the powder will return volume to the pile and the towel will become soft again.
- Mix the powder with soda. Here you will get the same softening effect as from salt. In addition, soda will neutralize all unpleasant odors and remove stains.
- Place down balls into the machine drum. They will fluff up the lint of the towel and make it soft and fluffy.
- If the towel becomes stiff after washing with the wrong powder, rinse it thoroughly under running water and then place it in cool water overnight.
How to bleach a towel
Terry and bamboo towels cannot be boiled, so to whiten them, if necessary, you need to use the soaking method.
We share with you proven methods:
- With hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of ammonia and 25 ml of peroxide in five liters of water, and put a towel in the resulting solution for half an hour. Then wash it. This method is safe for lint and will whiten the product well.
- With salt. Pour salt into very cold water at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water. Leave the towel for 2-3 hours, then wash.
- With stain removers. These professional products will quickly restore the whiteness of your towel. It is important to carefully read the composition and choose a product without a choir in the composition, otherwise the product will become rough and tough.
- With dishwashing detergent. This unexpected method works well for removing greasy and old stains. Leave the towel in water with any dish soap for 5 hours, then do a standard wash.
Ways to soften water at home
Hard water has a high content of mineral salts and is found in many regions. You can determine how soft the water is in a specific geographic location using a special map, but it is not difficult to do this with the help of simple observations. Hard water does not foam well, leaves scale on the kettle after just a few boils, and when such water sits, a white coating will appear on the walls of the container. Water with increased hardness intended for washing must be softened, and this can be done using improvised means.
Salt
Table salt, available in every kitchen, softens hard water by dissolving calcium and magnesium salts. To soften the water used by washing machines and dishwashers, special tablets or granules are produced, they are made on the basis of table salt.
Vinegar
To soften water, you will need 1 tablespoon of vinegar per 2 liters of water. The liquid is stirred and allowed to brew for five minutes. Instead of vinegar, you can take 1 teaspoon of citric acid or the juice of one lemon.
Soda
Baking soda not only softens water, but also reduces its acidity. You need to add 2 teaspoons of soda per 10 liters of water, mix well and wait for sediment to form at the bottom.
A mixture of baking soda and vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar will not only soften hard water, but will also restore the softness of the terry towel itself. When machine washing, it is enough to pour a glass of table vinegar into the compartment for liquid detergents and run a cycle without rinsing and spinning at a fairly high temperature, after which half a glass of soda should be poured into the compartment intended for powder detergents and start a cycle with rinsing and spinning.
How to properly dry towels after washing
Towels can be washed at different temperatures depending on the material, but spinning them at high speeds is not recommended.
It is optimal to set the double rinse mode without spin or gentle spin to no more than 500 rpm. If you wring the towel too hard, the pile will become deformed and it will become rough and hard to the touch. To get the water to drain, you can leave it in the bathroom for a while or gently blot it with your hands several times. It is best to dry towels in the fresh air or in a well-ventilated place, away from radiators and other heating devices. Don't hang them in the sun - they will become stiff and fade.
Make sure the towel is completely dry before folding it. Even a small percentage of remaining moisture will lead to mold and a moldy smell that will be impossible to get rid of.
Important!
Do not iron towels if you want to maintain their softness.
To prevent the towel from becoming wrinkled, smooth it evenly with your hands. The product can be treated with steam at a temperature not exceeding 150 degrees at a distance of 20 cm. Then it must be allowed to dry.
So, we found out that washing terry towels, velor, bamboo and others plays a significant role in maintaining their appearance, softness and other consumer properties. Read even more useful and interesting articles on our website.
