Wash Your Towels With One Simple Kitchen Ingredient To Keep Them Soft & Like New

Almost everyone makes mistakes when washing their towels. Unless you're a towel expert, even your most luxe and plush towels can become stiff and scratchy with frequent use. Plus, you might even notice they start to smell. While the reason isn't obvious, you can blame hard water, detergent, and fabric softener buildup for these gradual, unwelcome changes. The good news is, you don't need to break the bank and buy new towels. You don't even need to buy a special cleaning solution. There's a magic, cost-effective ingredient in your kitchen that can restore your towels to factory settings: vinegar.

Vinegar can be a versatile cleaning tool. Mineral, detergent, and fabric softener residues don't stand a chance against it due to its acidic properties. Plus, vinegar's acetic acid is a known odor-neutralizer. It's also antibacterial, which works great to tackle some of the germs lurking in well-loved towels. To get started, all you'll need is a washing machine, vinegar, and baking soda if you're dealing with extreme smells or for maximum freshness.

First off, it's important to mention that not all vinegar will work for this hack. For instance, you should avoid apple cider vinegar, as well as cleaning vinegar, which can damage your washing machine. Instead, opt for white distilled vinegar, which should work with most machine-washable fabrics and washing machines. 

Once you've sourced the correct type of vinegar, gather your towels and put them into your washing machine. If you have a large amount of towels to clean, make sure to split them up into multiple loads so the machine has enough room to provide a deep clean. Next, measure out 1/4 to 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar, and pour it into the fabric softener slot of your washing machine. Afterwards, set your temperature to warm or hot — no detergent needed. Let the washer run, and wait until it's done to see your results.

While the first time usually does the trick, tough odors and buildup might require a second round. So, if you're not satisfied with how clean your towels are, now's the time to consider adding baking soda. This time around, run the wash again without vinegar and add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of baking soda instead. Now, all that's left to do is dry your towels on low to medium heat. For extra fluffiness, feel free to add dryer balls. With these tips and tricks, you'll be able to resoften even your most musty towels.