Martha Stewart's Tips On How To Keep Your Towels Just Like New After Each Wash
Over time and with every wash, towels can begin to feel rough and lose their plushness. If this has happened to your towels, Martha Stewart has some tips on how to make them last longer and always feel brand new. To start, she recommends reading the tags, as this will provide you with specific care instructions on how your household's towels need to be washed. While most types can be cleaned on a regular cycle in warm water, certain colors or fabrics may have different cleaning instructions.
Further, to help keep your towels looking and feeling newer for longer, you should only wash them every three to four uses. If you're placing your towels in the washing machine too frequently, they may be wearing down faster than need be. Also, never use fabric softeners or dryer sheets on towels, as these products can cause towels to feel stiff and be less absorbent. When you do wash your towels, wash them in their own cycle and be sure to not overload the machine, as an overloaded appliance won't be able to clean your towels as thoroughly.
What to do with brand new towels
If you've just purchased brand-new towels, there are a few steps Martha Stewart recommends completing before you use them. One, it's important to always wash new towels in the washing machine. This is because towels are often covered in fabric softener in the store, and, as noted, this product can make them less absorbent. When you wash them, add a half cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle to remove the buildup of fabric softeners.
The color of your new towels will also make a big difference in how they should be washed. If you've purchased colorful or dark ones, only clean them with similarly colored towels, as you don't want the dye to ruin your white pieces. Further, colored towels should be cleaned in cool to warm water and with color-safe bleach. On the other hand, if you bought new white towels, clean them in hot water and add non-chlorine bleach. To brighten white towels, try adding 1/2 cup of borax or white vinegar per gallon of water in the wash cycle.
How to avoid musty smells on towels
Towels can sometimes have a musty scent, even after going through a wash cycle. This often happens because towels are fluffy and absorbent, so getting them perfectly dry can sometimes be a challenge. However, if they're not completely dry, mold or mildew could grow, which can lead to an unpleasant odor. To avoid this and help keep your towels like new after every wash, Martha Stewart says to never let your wet towels sit in the washer, but move them immediately to the dryer. When transferring them over, give them a slight shake, and set the appliance to medium heat. Further, don't remove or fold them before they're completely dry.
When storing, keep towels in a moisture-free place like a closet instead of on your bathroom countertop. If you do notice a musty scent coming off your towels, you can remove it by soaking the fabric in white vinegar for three minutes before washing it in the washing machine. Another benefit of doing this is that it'll make your towels feel more plush — just like new. Alternatively, Stewart says that simply sprinkling a small amount of baking soda in the wash cycle can also help remove odors.