Nothing is worse than doing a pile of laundry only for your towels to come out of the washing machine feeling stiff and rough - but this can happen if they are not being washed properly. Towels are highly absorbent, which is why they should never be washed with fabric softener, as the soap will simply clog up inside the fabric.
Over time, the soap residue will build up in their towels to form a waxy film that will dry out the fibres and make towels lose their fluffy texture. Kelly, a cleaning expert and founder of , has shared that making towels soft again is incredibly easy, as all you need are two natural ingredients.
Kelly said: "It's time to ditch the laundry detergent and the softener and make a switch to soda crystals and tea tree oil."
Soda crystals, also known as washing soda, are highly alkaline, which means it can break down acidic soap and minerals that are causing towels to feel hard.
Kelly added: "Soda crystals will strip off any residue buildup on your towels, it's an natural oxi stain remover which is great for keeping you white towels white."
Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties and acts as a natural disinfectant to get rid of any germs, so your towels will feel much more hygienic.
This is an eco-friendly method that will not only soften towels but also make them more absorbent, so they will be completely restored without having to use a chemical cleaner.
How to use soda crystals and tea tree oil to often towels
All you need to do is add one scoop of soda crystals to the detergent section and a few drops of tea tree oil to the fabric softener section of your washing machine drawer.
Do not add any laundry detergent or fabric softener. Once the towels are fluffy again, you can add a small amount of detergent to a future wash, but always wash towels with fabric softener.
Put your towels on a hot wash at 60C to kill bacteria, and then wash them like you normally would.
When the wash is done, hang them up to dry or place them in the tumble dryer on low heat. However, if you can, hang the towels up to dry outside, as the wind will also help soften them.
Give the towels a good shake when putting them in the tumble dryer or hanging them out to dry, as this also helps fluff up the fibres.
Once the towels are dry, they should be completely restored and back to their original fluffy texture.
