Stepping out of the shower and reaching for a towel, only to discover that your previously plush towel has become stiff and scratchy, ranks among life's minor irritations. If you find it challenging to maintain that hotel-quality feel in your towels, there's a remedy that doesn't involve discarding them and purchasing a fresh set.
However, one common practice people adopt when attempting to soften their rigid towels might actually be counterproductive. According to Faz Salloo, a bathroom expert and owner of Bathroom Fort, the real offender behind towels losing their plushness is frequently fabric softener.
He said: "Liquid fabric softener is oil-based, and it leaves a slick coating across the towel fibres that makes them far less absorbent over time. People think they're treating their towels, but it gradually does more harm than good."
This occurs because the waxy residue deposited by fabric softener accumulates and proves tricky to remove. It can result in trapped detergent and moisture which causes your towels to feel rigid and musty even when they've just been laundered.
To revive your towels to their previous condition, you won't need specialist laundry products. Two inexpensive ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen will work equally effectively, reports the Express.
Faz said: "You can restore your towels using just two simple ingredients you'll already have at home, white vinegar and ordinary table salt."
The acetic acid found in white vinegar works to neutralise the detergent and fabric softener residue responsible for that rough texture. It also dissolves the build-up clinging to the fibres and releases any lingering odours trapped within them.
Salt, on the other hand, targets the fibres directly, loosening the compacted threads and extracting the mineral deposits left behind by hard water, allowing the pile to relax and lift once more.
With an estimated 60% of UK households receiving hard water, many homes experience the consequences of mineral accumulation.
Some worry that washing towels with vinegar will result in an unpleasant smell — but Faz insisted this isn't the case.
He said: "The vinegar smell lifts completely as the towels dry, so what you're left with is a fresh, clean towel rather than a sharp one. It's one of the cheapest laundry fixes going, and it's far gentler on the fabric than the products it replaces."
