After finishing your laundry and taking out your towels from the dryer, have you ever felt disappointed to find them stiff and rough instead of soft and fluffy? There are various reasons for this issue, such as soap residue, limescale buildup, friction during washing, and the drying process.

Towels, being highly absorbent, tend to retain soap and fabric conditioner remnants that may not rinse off completely during the wash. Over time, this residue accumulates, leading to decreased absorbency and a coarse texture. To maintain the softness and comfort of your towels for years to come, experts recommend using white vinegar as a key ingredient.

Michael Bogoyavlenskiy, the CEO of Cleaning Express, suggests using white vinegar as a natural and effective method to restore the softness of towels. When washing your towels, pour around 100ml of white vinegar into the fabric conditioner compartment or the rinse cycle compartment if available in your machine.

The vinegar helps break down oil, detergent, and mineral deposits that can cause towels to become stiff and unpleasant. For severely affected towels, you can try soaking them in a mixture of water and 150 to 200ml of white vinegar before washing them as usual.

Danny Leung, a proponent of natural home care and founder of Detoorp, emphasizes the simplicity and effectiveness of white vinegar in revitalizing towels. He recommends adding half a cup of vinegar to the washing machine without any detergent to eliminate built-up residue and mineral deposits.

After the vinegar wash, Danny suggests running the towels through another cycle with half a cup of baking soda to neutralize any remaining vinegar and restore the towels’ pH balance. This two-step process is favored by Scott Schrader, a cleaning expert at Cottage Care, for its ability to dissolve residue and refresh the fibers of the towels.

Jared Sarbit, CEO of Picture Perfect Cleaning, and Jessica Gonzalez, COO of Sparkly Maid San Antonio, also advocate for using white vinegar to reset and soften towels effectively. Washing towels with vinegar on a hot cycle is recommended to achieve the best results.

While optional, using baking soda in a subsequent cycle can further soften and deodorize the towels. The experts agree that white vinegar is a crucial step in maintaining the softness and fluffiness of your towels in the long run.