Many housewives are faced with the fact that after washing, towels lose their attractive appearance and become hard, but you really want textiles to remain fluffy for as long as possible. You can avoid this if you know how to wash towels in a washing machine. Proper washing will help extend the life of products and maintain their original appearance.
What causes fabric to become stiff?
The most common material for making kitchen and bath towels is cotton. Terry towels, which can be with short or long pile, are especially popular among housewives. Every woman knows that repeated washing and bleaching damage fabrics, making towels feel rough and unpleasant to the touch. The reason for this may be:
- incorrect temperature. The optimal water temperature for washing cotton and terry towels is 60 degrees;
- low-quality washing powder. Cheap products contain insufficient amounts of active substances that care for the material;
- hard water;
- ironing without using a steamer;
- incorrect spin mode. You should choose a mode in which the drum rotates up to 600 rpm.
Hand washing helps to extend the service life as much as possible.But since this process is quite labor-intensive and takes a lot of time, it is resorted to less and less often.
General washing recommendations
To keep the fabric soft, you need to remember and adhere to the following rules:
- White and colored items are washed strictly separately. It is recommended to choose a detergent in accordance with the color of the towels.
- It is better to wash bath towels using liquid detergent rather than washing powder. Liquid gels not only remove dirt more effectively, but are also more gentle on fabrics.
- When washing, it is recommended to select the re-rinse mode. Towels have a complex and dense structure, which is why, with a single rinse, the detergent may not be completely washed out, and the fabric will become hard.
- Terry towels should be washed on the delicate cycle.
- To preserve the texture, it is recommended to use a special washing ball. While the drum rotates, it will beat the terry and at the same time speed up the process of removing powder from the lint.
- At what temperature to wash towels depends on the material they are made of. The optimal temperature for terry and cotton products is 40 degrees. If the fabric is heavily soiled, it can be increased to 60 degrees. For bamboo, velor and microfiber, the maximum permissible temperature is 30 degrees.
- When washing, it is strictly not recommended to use bleach. Such compositions not only wash out poorly, but also make the material hard. As an alternative, it is better to use ammonia or soda.
- It is also better to avoid using air conditioners.Although conditioners are originally designed to soften fabrics, they are difficult to rinse out of terry, causing the textiles to become rough.
- It is recommended to dry kitchen and bath towels on the balcony. Air circulation and wind will straighten the fibers - the material will look more attractive. It is important to remember that towels should not be dried in direct sunlight, as the fabric can dry out and become stiff.
You also need to remember that you need to wash kitchen towels at least once every 2 weeks. If the product becomes heavily soiled, it will be very difficult to restore its original appearance.
Water softening methods
To keep your towels soft and fluffy, you not only need to know what mode to set the washing machine to and what products to use, but also pay special attention to softening the water. To keep the terry soft, you can use filtered water. The following methods will also help eliminate stiffness:
- before putting it into the washing machine, you can add table salt (3 tablespoons of salt are mixed with 60 ml of liquid product);
- use of acetic acid. Add half a glass of apple cider vinegar to the conditioner fill compartment;
- Another effective way to soften water is to use baking soda. 5 tablespoons of soda should be poured directly into the drum of the washing machine and after that, load things.
To keep towels soft and not lose their attractive appearance after repeated washings, it is recommended to periodically soak them in a saline solution. To prepare the emollient, mix 6 tablespoons of salt in 10 liters of water. Towels should remain in the liquid for about an hour, after which they are washed in a machine with the addition of 5-6 tablespoons of soda.
Whitening methods
If home textiles have become stiff and have acquired a grayish tint, you should avoid using special bleaching detergents. To return the original whiteness, the product must be soaked in a water-salt solution: add a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of ammonia to 2 liters of water. Towels are left in this water for at least 8 hours. Afterwards you can start washing as usual.
If this method does not help remove stubborn stains, you can use simple laundry soap for washing. The stain needs to be thoroughly soaped, then carefully roll the towel into a tube, put it in a plastic bag and put it in the microwave for a couple of minutes. After this treatment, the stains are guaranteed to disappear. All that remains to be done is to rinse the towels properly. This method is very effective. It will help remove not only greasy stains, but also traces of natural food dyes, such as berries, coffee or fruit.
If you know how to properly wash and care for terry towels, the products will last for years. The most important thing is to avoid clogging, choose the appropriate washing mode (the water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees, and the spin intensity should vary within 600 rpm) and use liquid detergents.
