How to Wash Towels So They Stay Soft and Absorbent

Step by step

1. 1

   Sort the towels and pick the temperature

   Separate whites from colors and check the labels. Wash white and heavily used towels at 60°C (140°F), because that temperature deals with bacteria and skin oils. Wash colored towels at 40°C so they don't lose their color.

2. 2

   Measure the detergent, but skip the softener

   Use a good powder or gel in the amount the instructions recommend, without overdoing it. Fabric softener only seems to help - it leaves a coating that glues the cotton loops together and stops the towel from absorbing water. Leave it out of towel loads.

3. 3

   Pour vinegar into the rinse compartment

   Instead of softener, pour half a cup of white vinegar into the compartment marked with a flower symbol. Vinegar dissolves detergent residue and hard water deposits, so the fibers stay soft and open. The vinegar smell evaporates as the towels dry.

4. 4

   Don't overload the drum

   Towels need room to rinse well and loosen up. Fill the drum to three quarters at most, and even less with thick terry towels. In a cramped drum, the detergent stays trapped inside and the towels come out stiff.

5. 5

   Set the right spin speed

   A spin of 800-1000 rpm squeezes out excess water without flattening the loops too much. Spinning too hard can crush them, and then the towel feels harsher. If you hang towels straight away, a higher spin will shorten the drying time.

6. 6

   Dry them so they get their fluff back

   Towels come out fluffiest from a tumble dryer, because the motion and warmth lift the loops. If you dry on a line, give each towel a hard shake before hanging it and after taking it down to break up stuck-together fibers. Don't finish drying them to a crisp on a radiator, because they harden.

Why fabric softener ruins towels

Softener works by coating the fabric with a thin layer of fatty substances. On a sweater or a shirt that gives a pleasant effect, but a towel has one job: soaking up water. That coating clogs the loops, and water starts sliding off them instead of soaking in.

The effect builds with every wash. After a few weeks the terry looks fine, but your skin still feels damp after toweling off. Vinegar does the opposite - instead of adding buildup, it removes it, which makes it the better choice for towels.

How to rescue scratchy towels

If your towels have already gone stiff, give them a reset wash. Wash them at 60°C without detergent, but with a full cup of vinegar in the rinse compartment, to dissolve the built-up soap and hard water deposits. In the next cycle, add half a cup of baking soda straight into the drum to refresh the fibers and remove odors.

After that double wash, tumble dry the towels or shake them out hard and hang them up. Scratchiness usually comes from buildup, not worn-out fabric, so most towels can be brought back to softness this way. Repeat the treatment if the water in your area is very hard.

How often to wash towels

A bath towel is best washed after three or four uses, as long as it dries spread out between showers. A damp towel is the perfect home for bacteria and mildew, so don't leave it bunched up on a hook. A hand towel in the kitchen or bathroom gets dirty faster and needs washing every two to three days.

Change your face towel more often, even every other day, especially if you have problem skin. After an illness or heavy sweating, wash your towels right away at 60°C. Hanging a towel spread out to its full width, rather than in a tight wad, is the simplest way to keep it fresh longer.

Frequently asked questions