Caring For Your Towels

All The Dry Facts.

Upon beginning and ending our day, we constantly come in contact with a towel or two. Our bath towels make us feel warm, dry, cozy and pampered. Our hand towel, so thoughtlessly used yet essential in every house, plays a big role in our every-day life. Following are some tips on how to best care for your towels.

WASH SEPARATELY 

Wash your towels separate from clothing for sanitary reasons. Putting towels in their own load also makes it easier to adjust to the best settings for cleaning towels based on color. 

Always wash new towels 

Towels are shipped tightly packed in vacuum packages to distributors, and the compression removes the soft feel and fluffiness. It is wise to wash new towels before their first use.

Add vinegar to the wash cycle

 A half to full cup of vinegar to the occasional wash load is a great natural way to increase absorbency (by changing the water Ph) and also remove the musty smell that damp towels tend to produce. Baking soda can also be helpful here.

Avoid fabric softeners

 Waxy buildup from softeners can deteriorate the towel fibers over time and reduce their absorbency. We all like that fresh flowery smell, but fabric softeners also change the Ph of the rinse water and reduces the ability of the towel to absorb water. Ever tried to use a fresh, clean, dry towel, only instead of getting dry it just moves the moisture around on your skin? That can be a result of using too much softener.

 Avoid chlorine bleach 

While chlorine is a great stain remover and whitener, it can significantly reduce the life of your towels by damaging and weakening the fibers. Instead, use an Oxi-based bleach/whitener or spot-treat the stains.

Dry Completely

Ensure that towels are dry when you remove them from the dryer. Damp towels can develop mildew. Bear in mind though to avoid overdrying; it can destroy the integrity of the individual cotton fibers.