If your towels are feeling scratchy and stiff, there is a simple trick to soften them again – and you probably already have this kitchen ingredient at home
This method will have towels feeling brand new(Image: Viktoriya Skorikova via Getty Images)
A familiar frustration is sweeping bathrooms nationwide – rough, abrasive towels. If you’re fed up with feeling like you’re exfoliating your entire body every time you step out of the shower, there’s hope yet.
There’s no need to splash out on a complete towel overhaul or splurge on expensive fabric conditioners to bring them back to life. All it takes is introducing one simple ingredient into your washing routine.
When your towels have lost their plush softness, the instinct might be to reach for fabric softener – but that would be the wrong move.
Fabric softener can actually build up on towel fibres, leaving them feeling even more rigid and uncomfortable.
Instead of commercial softeners, you can create your own solution that’ll breathe new life into your towels.
While many folk swear by vinegar, there’s another alternative worth considering. Citric acid can transform your towels back to their former glory.
The method is straightforward – simply combine one heaped teaspoon of citric acid with 500ml of water.
Pour this solution into your washing machine’s fabric softener drawer. Don’t add any other products, and run a hot wash cycle to strip away mineral deposits that have accumulated in your towels.
Citric acid isn’t just brilliant for softening towels – it’ll also revitalise your whites. White towels and garments can become dull and greyish over time, but citric acid can brighten them up and restore their original brilliance.
While citric acid can work wonders in softening towels, the real game-changer is ditching the washing line.
If you’ve got a tumble dryer to hand, pop your towels in with a tennis ball – it’ll work magic on the fibres, leaving them feeling practically brand spanking new.
No tumble dryer? Not to worry. Give your towels a good shake both before and after washing to help loosen up those fibres, which should leave them feeling that bit softer to the touch.
