Use Less Detergent – Using too much laundry detergent can cause your towels to get stiff. It is a good idea to use about half of the suggested amount of laundry detergent you would typically use for best results. Most detergents are fine for washing towels, so your favorite should work just fine.
Too much detergent can make your towels feel stiff after washing. Use half the amount you would for clothes and choose an extra-long rinse cycle to remove detergent residue. Never use fabric softener on towels, as it lessens their absorbency.
If you want to keep towels fluffy when you wash them, there are three things to remember. The first is to “use a tiny amount of detergent,” says Richardson. (Ideally, you'll want to use two tablespoons of detergent per load.) The second is to avoid using fabric softeners and dryer sheets.
Most towels should be washed in warm water in a regular cycle, but read the tag to be sure. "If the label stresses that you should separate your dark colors from your white colors, you better do that," say Garnet Hill's experts. "And each towel could differ depending on the fibers."
How often should I wash my bath towels? Dead skin cells, bacteria, and even sweat can accumulate quickly on your towels, so using a fresh one about every three days is a simple rule of thumb—for all kinds of towels. You can of course change them more often.
Towels should be washed in the warmest water appropriate for the fabric according to the care label. Generally, warm or hot water is recommended for washing towels. Use a cycle specifically for towels or a normal/regular cycle.
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.
'Alternate between tumble drying and line drying,' advises Lucy Ackroyd. 'The best way to get super fluffy towels is tumble drying immediately after a wash, however overuse can make the fabric wear down over time. 'To combat the effect of the tumble dryer, line dry your towels occasionally.
“For one, your other clothes and sheets will get lint and fibers on them from being washed with towels,” she explains. “Towels should be washed on a heavier cycle, without fabric softener, in hot water. Towels also take significantly longer to dry, which could cause clothing and other items to shrink.”
Use Less Detergent – Using too much laundry detergent can cause your towels to get stiff. It is a good idea to use about half of the suggested amount of laundry detergent you would typically use for best results. Most detergents are fine for washing towels, so your favorite should work just fine.
So, how much detergent are you actually supposed to be using? This may come as a shock, but just 1 to 2 tablespoons is more than enough for your entire load.
Washing machine smells bad: too many suds can leave a residue in the washer that breeds smelly bacteria and mold. Clothing is dull and spotted: excess detergent won't properly rinse out of clothing, leaving behind spots and making clothes appear dull. Clothes may also feel itchy when you wear them.
Culprit #1: Too Much Detergent
This by far is the most common explanation for soapy clothes. If you are using a powdered laundry detergent, always put it in the washer first as the washer fills and then add the clothes. The same goes for liquid laundry detergent.
If you're not sure if you're using too much detergent, check your towels after washing them. Too much detergent will leave a soapy residue or leave your towels feeling stiff.
Too much laundry detergent can cause something called detergent buildup. Too much detergent affects the wash cycle, leaving a detergent residue (or coating) on the fabric. When your towels fall victim to detergent buildup, a loss in softness and fluff is soon to follow.
Turns out there are few things you might be doing to your laundry that are affecting the fluff-factor on your towels, such as using too much detergent, using fabric softeners (seems counter-intuitive, right?) or, unfortunately, using water-efficient cycles on your washing machine.
Set your washing machine temperature to 30 degrees
It's often a good idea to wash towels and bedding at 60 degrees to get rid of any nasty bacteria, grease or stain build-up. But, to keep your towels softer for longer, Deyan says 30 degrees is preferable.
With the correct care, you can keep them feeling soft and fluffy for longer. Towels and bathrobes should be washed frequently using a warm gentle wash cycle at 40 degrees. Be careful not to overload, and separate light colours from dark ones.
Hotels and laundries have a chemical called Potassium permanganate which is a very strong oxidizer that can kill everything and also remove stains effectively.
Hot? Despite popular belief, washing your towels with cold water is the best way to keep them clean, soft and fluffy. Washing your towels in cold water will also help you save up to three-quarters of the energy you would have used had you chosen hot water.
As a general rule, launder your bath towel (or swap in a clean one) at least once a week and your washcloth a couple times a week. Wash towels more frequently if you're sick to avoid reinfection.
With that said, if you want to avoid as much bacteria, fungi, and mold growth as possible, it's best to change your washcloth daily, Dr. Vij and Dr. Tierno say.
Tierno recommend washing bath towels every two or three days. Hold out longer than that, and all those microorganisms will make your towel grungy. “You may not get sick after using a towel for two weeks, but that's not the point,” says Dr. Tierno.