Cleaning guru and TikTok creator Chantel Mila has revealed a surprising natural bathroom item that can help soften and refresh bed sheets and linen, offering an alternative to white vinegar and baking soda.
According to Mila, adding one cup of Epsom salt to the washing machine drum and washing on a normal cycle can keep sheets soft and fresh. A few drops of essential oils can be added to the salts to help keep the linen smelling fresh.
Why Epsom salt works on bedding
The Epsom Salt Council described Epsom salt as an incredibly “versatile” ingredient to add to a laundry routine. It wrote: “It acts as a fabric softener, cleaning booster, and odour neutralizer, all without the use of harsh chemicals.”
The bathroom item can be used in place of traditional fabric softener. Its mineral content helps to break down detergent and mineral build-up in fabrics, making clothes feel softer and cleaner.
Additional deodorising and bath method
The Epsom Salt Council continued: “Epsom salt also helps absorb odors, leaving laundry smelling fresher, and can help balance hard water, improving detergent effectiveness.” The minerals help neutralise or dissolve accumulated laundry soap and hard water deposits trapped in the sheet’s fibres, and can also loosen rigid fibres in new sheets.
For particularly smelly sheets, half a cup of baking soda can be added to the mix for extra deodorising power. The solution should be added to the washing machine drum before any of the dirty sheets.
According to Pioneer Linens, the same method can be used without a washing machine by washing bed linen in the bath. Fill the bath with cold water, add 50 grams of Epsom salt, place the sheets in the bathtub, and stir with a wooden spoon. Leave the sheets to soak overnight, then rinse them in the morning and leave them outside to dry.
