Like fabric softener, dryer sheets contain oils that can coat towel fibers and destroy their absorbency. So, don't use them when drying your towels. Instead, create three-inch balls from aluminum foil and toss them in the dryer with your towels.
Throw Tennis Balls in The Dryer
If you have a few clean, unused tennis balls lying around like I do, try throwing them in the dryer along with your towels. As the balls bounce around, they help remove lumps and increase softness.
The expert-recommended way to soften towels that have become scratchy is to use vinegar. 'Throw a cup of white vinegar in your next wash,' advises textiles expert and CEO of New Sega Home, Brian Delp. The towels have likely become stiff and scratchy because of the use of fabric softener.
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.
Dryer sheets function in the same way that a liquid fabric softener does, reducing static, making clothes feel softer and adding fragrance. When you place a dryer sheet in with your wet clothes, the dryer melts the softening agent, causing the residue to transfer to your clothes.
3. Towels. While everyone loves to dry off with a soft towel, liquid fabric softener and dryer sheets can reduce the absorbency of terry cloth and other fluffy fabrics. If you feel like your towels aren't drying as well as they did when they were new, skip the softener every few washes.
Liquid fabric softeners are slightly preferable to dryer sheets, as the chemicals in dryer sheets get released into the air when they are heated up in the dryer and can pose a respiratory health risk to those both inside and outside the home.
Tumble drying might seem like a good idea, but too much heat can damage the integrity of cotton, making your towels hard. Try a lower setting, or alternate between air drying and tumble drying.
Most towel experts would agree that it's a bad idea to use fabric softener on towels regularly, as it will decrease their absorbency over time.
The main culprit for towels losing their magical softness is residue from detergents and body oils that build up within the fabric. This buildup of leftover products will cause stiffness and a rough, crackly feeling. These remnants from products also diminish your towel's ability to absorb moisture.
After loading the dryer, toss in several wool dryer balls if you have them. The balls will "beat" the towel fibers during the tumbling action, leaving them softer and fluffier. Give the towels another good shake as you remove them from the dryer before folding.
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.
Using vinegar in your washing machine can cause serious damage. Vinegar is acidic and can corrode the internal parts. It can also dissolve the protective coating on many materials, including the rubber seals and gaskets found inside the washer.
It might sound counterintuitive, but fabric softener isn't always the way to achieve cloudlike towels. Fabric softeners coat a towel's exterior and often contain oils and petroleum-based ingredients that hinder its absorbency. This filmy coating may mean more frequent washing, which breaks down the towel.
You can soften your towels with baking soda by mixing roughly a cup of baking soda in with your detergent before running the washing machine. As an added bonus, considering baking soda's reputation for making anything smell good, those sweaty, smelly towels will smell wonderful once again.
Your dryer sheets can leave a residue on your clothes, towels or sheets and create a perfume cloud where your dryer vents outside. Some people love the scent, but unfortunately, dryer sheets can contain harmful chemicals that adhere to clothes, vent into the air, and rub off on your skin.
Wool dryer balls are significantly kinder to the environment than dryer sheets, as they're 100% natural, organic, and can biodegrade back into the soil at the end of their life. They can save your money: one set of wool dryer balls can last 1,000 washes – or over three years of laundry.
Should you use dryer sheets with fabric softener? There's no need to use dryer sheets if you're already adding liquid fabric softener to your laundry load because both products are designed to do the same thing – that is to reduce static in your clothes and make them feel softer to the touch.
Should I use dryer sheets? It depends on the load. Dryer sheets work well for most everyday items made of natural fibers, such as cotton shirts, pants and socks, but it's best to avoid using dryer sheets on athleticwear & microfiber, towels, flame-resistant clothing and water-repellent fabric.
The Environmental Working Group published a piece in August 2022 that encouraged users to skip dryer sheets, noting that “heat-activated dryer sheets can pack a powerful combination of chemicals that can harm your health, damage the environment and pollute the air, inside and outside your home.” An Apartment Therapy ...
Hotels and laundries have a chemical called Potassium permanganate which is a very strong oxidizer that can kill everything and also remove stains effectively.
Because vinegar contains acetic acid, it dissolves all sorts of grime and mineral deposits on your towels. Baking soda is alkaline, which helps to neutralize odors. To recharge your towels, be sure to: Wash your towels with 1 cup of white vinegar and hot water.
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.