I revived my stiff, scratchy bath towels to their original softness using simple pantry staples
Commercial fabric softeners are actually making your towels scratchy. Here's how to strip away the buildup using low-cost kitchen basics.
Scratchy, stiff bath towels can easily be revived using common household items, specifically distilled white vinegar and baking soda. These pantry staples work together to remove buildup and restore the towels' softness. Unlike commercial fabric softeners and detergents, which leave a waxy coating on cotton fibers, causing them to lose absorbency, vinegar and baking soda tackle this problem effectively.
When towels become scratchy, it's often due to residue from laundry products mixing with hard water minerals. This creates a barrier that encases the cotton fibers, trapping odors and reducing water absorption. Distilled white vinegar, containing about 5% acetic acid, helps dissolve these alkaline mineral buildups and break down the waxy residues. After the vinegar wash, adding baking soda neutralizes any remaining acidic odors.
To revive stiff towels, first wash them in a hot water cycle without any detergent or softeners. Pour a cup of vinegar into the detergent dispenser. After this cycle, add baking soda directly to the drum and run another hot wash cycle. Once done, dry the towels on medium heat, using wool dryer balls or clean tennis balls to fluff the fibers and prevent them from becoming too hard.
To maintain soft towels, reduce the amount of detergent used for towel loads and avoid using liquid fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Overloading the washing machine also helps, ensuring there's enough water and space for the towels to tumble freely.
Written by urgent.news from Tom's Guide's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
