All you'll need is one cup of white vinegar and one cup of baking soda. You'll be using these two ingredients separately, as using them together will only cancel out the effectiveness of each one, during two washes on the same load of towels.
The short answer is no. And the long answer goes like this: When used together, baking soda and vinegar will neutralize each other, effectively canceling out the benefits of low pH for vinegar and high pH for baking soda.
Refresh Your Towels!
Over time, towels build up detergent and fabric softener, leaving them unable to absorb as much water and smelly, refresh your towels: Wash towels once with hot water and 1cup vinegar, Wash towels a 2nd time with hot water and half cup baking soda.
1. Wash your towels with hot water and 1 cup of white vinegar, (don't use any detergents or fabric softeners). 2. Run the towels through a second wash with 1/2 cup baking soda and hot water, (again, no detergent or fabric softener).
Top Loader Machine: If you have a top loader, you will put the vinegar directly into the drum after it's filled with water. Add a 1/2- 1 cup. Wash towels in warm or hot water and do not use detergent. To up the cleaning power, add a cup of baking soda directly to the drum with the towels after adding the vinegar.
Once your towels are through their first wash, my grandma says to wash them again. This time, you'll be sprinkling one cup of baking soda directly into your washer before you shut the lid.
Use hot water each time you wash towels. Use a heavy-duty detergent (Tide and Persil are leading brands with enough enzymes to effectively remove body soil) that cleans well. Keep your washer clean. Be sure the towels are thoroughly dry before folding and storing.
Use baking soda.
This will help loosen up fibers and clean off any chemicals or grime, making your towels softer. Just mix half a cup of baking soda with your normal amount of detergent.
Wash towels frequently.
Now that you know why towels should be washed every three to four uses, stick to a regular bathroom linen washing schedule. If your towels start to feel stiff or less absorbent, add borax to your machine (or vinegar) every few washes to refresh them and remove detergent residue.
Use Vinegar
Use about half the recommended amount of detergent while washing and add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the water during the rinse cycle. The vinegar helps set the colors and removes excess detergent residue.
Baking soda is another naturally effective way to soften your bath towels. Just add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your normal amount of detergent in the wash. Like vinegar, baking soda will also help remove build up from your towels, making your towels softer.
Since vinegar has a low pH and baking soda high pH, they will neutralize each other when used together. What you want to do instead is to use baking soda first mixed with water to do your laundry. You can pour vinegar into the mix once the baking soda has gotten around your clothes and made its effect.
The acetic acid in vinegar acts as a disinfectant and reacts with the baking soda to lift stains. This combination is also great for brightening whites. With a little bit of scrubbing and leaving the paste to set for 30 minutes, I was able to almost remove the stains completely from my white jeans.
Add sheets and towels to the washing machine. Add ½ cup baking soda into the detergent dispenser and ½ cup vinegar to the fabric softener dispenser. Then wash on the hottest setting possible and dry as usual. If you have a top loader, sprinkle baking soda over towels and add vinegar right before the rinse cycle.
High-end hotels prefer to use Egyptian cotton, which is softer, fluffier, and cozier than regular cotton. Such that, even Mizu Towels use this fabric to make their luxury towels. Although it is lighter than Egyptian cotton, some hotels also use Turkish cotton in their towels.
Skip the fabric softener every other wash to avoid waxy build-up on towels that can lead to a reduction in absorbency and softness. Do not iron towels! This heat will only damage and flatten the fabric fibers causing them to be less plush than you would like.
Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle. A sanitizing cycle can also be used, but may not be recommended for every wash, depending on the towel fabric.
Baking soda makes a great laundry product because of its mild alkali qualities. Dirt and grease are easily dissolved, while clothes are softened. It is especially helpful in homes with hard water because it will clean clothes better, and prevent the stain buildup that can come with hard water.
White vinegar is an acid that kills mildew, mold and other bacteria. It also strips away any build-up left on towels from soaps and from using too much detergent. The baking soda is an extra step to neutralize any leftover smell from the vinegar. Baking soda also works as a natural fabric softener.
If your towels are very stiff and scratchy, try adding around 250ml of vinegar to a wash along with your laundry liquid. Add it to the washing machine drum just before you load and set the cycle going, don't worry, it won't make your washing smell like a bag of chips.
You can use vinegar and laundry detergent in the same load, but you cannot mix them. If you're using detergent, add the vinegar to the rinse cycle after the detergent is out. Otherwise, you'll get oily clothes.