If you want to keep your laundry feeling soft, it seems like a no brainer that you'd stick some fabric softener in with every load. After all, the clue's in the name, right?
Well, according to one cleaning expert, that's not always the case, and sometimes using fabric softeners can do more harm than good - especially when it comes to towels.
Vanesa Amaro, a housekeeper, uploaded a TikTok video in which she discussed the issues with using fabric softener when washing your towels, as she explained it could prevent your towels from being as effective as they used to be.
According to Express.co.uk, she said in her video: "Never ever ever wash your towels with any fabric softener.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
"Fabric softener contains wax and oils. Oil repels water, which means if you wash your towels with fabric softener, they will not be as absorbent as they used to be."
Vanesa, who is from the US, instead suggested mixing white vinegar with a few other ingredients to help get rid of any "unnecessary odours" in your towels.
The housekeeper, who posts under the username @vanesamaro91, suggested mixing the vinegar with OxiClean, which is a stain remover, and borax, which has been banned in the UK since 2010.
Instead of borax, you could use bicarbonate of soda.
Better yet, you can cut down your costs even further by only using white vinegar and ditching the stain remover and bicarb, as experts from the Turkish Towel Company have said you only need one cup of white vinegar to restore your towels to their fluffy and absorbant glory.
They said: “Simply run the towels through a regular washing cycle, then redo them using vinegar instead of soap.”
If the treatment does not work after one wash, it may be due to a large build-up of residue on your towels. In this case, you may have to rely on a second wash with white vinegar.
You may also run into difficulties if you overload your washing machine, as towels need lots of room to breathe so they can rise and fluff up during the cycle.
If you have enough towels for a full load, it is a good idea to do a towel-only wash.
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@trinitymirror.com .
