Hotels maintain the whiteness of their towels after multiple washes by using careful laundering techniques, high-quality detergents and optical brighteners. To keep towels smelling fresh, hotels use scented laundry products, prioritize proper drying and store the towels in clean and dry spaces.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that bleach is involved in keeping hotel towels white. Hotels use oxygen or chlorine bleach, depending on the type of fabric and stains. Oxygen bleach is a form of hydrogen peroxide and releases oxygen to remove stains without damaging the fabric.
Bleach plays a significant role in maintaining the bright white colour of hotel sheets. Hotels often use a diluted solution of bleach in the washing process to remove any lingering stains and to disinfect the fabric.
Wash white towels using hot water, detergent, and a non-chlorine bleach or natural fabric brightener (like sodium percarbonate) according to package directions. White towels stay brighter when washed in hot water. Wash colorful towels in warm water, using detergent with color-safe bleach.
White clothes are notorious for yellowing around the underarms or collar. Perhaps your bedding has sweat stains after a particularly hot summer night. Whatever the case may be, learn how to use OxiClean™ White Revive™ to wash white socks, cloth diapers, towels and more to help keep them white and bright.
Choose Bleach or Vinegar for Whitening
Bleach can be effective for keeping white towels bright since there's no risk of color fading. However, vinegar is a safer, eco-friendly alternative that effectively whitens and freshens without the harsh effects of bleach.
There are two main ways to restore the whiteness in your towels: one is using a non-chlorine (oxygen) bleach and the other is to try an all-natural method using baking soda, white vinegar or even lemon juice (but not together).
Use white vinegar:
Vinegar is also a great alternative to chlorine bleach. Add half a cup of white vinegar to your white laundry. This can remove the grey or yellow hues from your white clothes and restore their original color.
Hydrogen peroxide is great for dealing with mildew and the bad smells associated with it. But before you add it, your washer needs to be dry and empty. Then after setting the cycle to the clean setting (or the hottest water setting), add 2 cups of hydrogen peroxide to the tub and run the washer.
Even so, for white towels you could try a pre-soak with ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach per gallon of water. Let the towels soak for 5 minutes, then drain the soaking solution and run the towels through a hot wash cycle with detergent plus 1/3 cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach.
Hotel towels dry so well due to a combination of factors, including their high-quality materials and specialized laundering techniques. Hotels typically use towels made from 100% cotton, which is highly absorbent and quick-drying.
For an extra boost in stain-fighting power, hotels often turn to stronger products like OxiClean and Borax.
Hotels and laundries have a chemical called Potassium permanganate which is a very strong oxidizer that can kill everything and also remove stains effectively. So now you know how hotels manage to keep towels white. There are numerous stain remover solutions available in the market.
Borax will make sure your whites stay white.
When mixed with water, borax converts water molecules into hydrogen peroxide, which is a natural whitening agent.
Once you have added your towels, add laundry detergent in its respective drawer, and add about 250ml distilled white vinegar into the fabric softener drawer. If your towels have already been washed in detergent, just mix some water into the vinegar to dilute before you add it to the detergent drawer.
Add Baking Soda
Mix half a cup of baking soda along with a normal detergent dose for fluffier and cleaner towels. Baking soda also naturally eliminates musty and mildew smells that come from towels remaining damp for too long.
Body Oils and Lotions: Natural oils from your skin, as well as lotions and other personal care products, can transfer to your towels. Over time, these oils can cause discoloration, particularly on white fabrics. Sun Exposure: Prolonged exposure to sunlight can cause white towels to yellow.
To restore the whiteness of your towels, try using oxygen bleach or borax in your wash cycle. You can also soak them in a mixture of lemon juice and water, or use hydrogen peroxide solution on stubborn stains. Following proper washing techniques and avoiding fabric softeners can also help.
Use OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover powder for versatile applications. Can I use OxiClean™ Max Force™ Laundry Stain Remover Spray on wool or silk items? OxiClean™ MaxForce™ is not designed to be used on dry clean only fabrics and should not be used on wool or silk items.
Color-Safe Whitening: Unlike bleach, which can strip away colors and leave behind unsightly patches, peroxide is color-safe. It effectively removes stains and brightens whites without causing any damage to colored towels.