Towels will look cleaner if you add natural item to the wash — not vinegar or baking soda
Households are being asked to ditch fabric softener as it causes germs to build up on their towels, and instead add a more natural item to the washing machine
Summer's nearly upon us, and while we're preparing our beach gear and swimwear, it's worth giving your towels some attention as they're frequently harbouring more grime than you'd expect. Towels can be teeming with bacteria, largely because many people incorrectly use fabric softener during washing, which can lead to excessive soap buildup that clogs the fibres.
This soap accumulation creates a waxy coating that may go unnoticed initially, but eventually leaves towels feeling somewhat stiff, smelling stale and compromising their cleanliness.
Catherine Wrench from Planet Friendly Living has revealed a straightforward solution to restore towels and launder them correctly, requiring nothing more than a box of washing soda. Catherine explained: "Washing soda has a number of properties that make it especially useful around the home. It is particularly effective at breaking down acids and oils, softening water, cutting through soap scum, and removing stains."
Properly laundering towels presents challenges, as oily soap build-up proves difficult to shift without resorting to aggressive cleaners that risk discolouring or damaging the material.
While washing soda is remarkably effective, it's a naturally occurring salt with high alkalinity, which enables it to effortlessly dissolve fabric softener and other oils.
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Employing washing soda eliminates any residue clinging to towels, ensuring they emerge from the wash cleaner, softer and significantly more absorbent.
Washing soda, also known as sodium carbonate or soda crystals, provides a deep clean for towels without the need for multiple washes, restoring them to a like-new condition.
How to properly wash towels using washing soda
First, ensure you're washing towels separately from other garments. Clothes tend to shed significant amounts of lint during washing, which can cling to your towels.
Load the towels into the washing machine and add approximately 120ml of washing soda directly into the drum.
Put a small amount of laundry detergent in the drawer, but avoid adding fabric softener to towel loads, as this can cause greasy soap buildup.
Set the washing machine to a hot cycle at 60°C or 90°C to thoroughly clean the towels and eliminate bacteria.
After the cycle finishes, run an additional rinse cycle to remove the loosened soap residue from the towels.
Once the machine has completed its cycles, either dry your towels outdoors in the sunshine or place them in a tumble dryer on a medium heat setting. Your towels should smell wonderful and feel considerably softer, leaving you perfectly prepared to head to the beach or go for a swim this summer.
