Occasionally your soft, snuggly bath towels may become scratchy and stiff after laundering. A number of factors can cause the towels’ formerly fluffy fibers to take on a coarse, abrasive texture: the use of certain laundry aids, washing in hard water or air drying the towels. In most cases, you can restore the texture of your towels by applying a few basic corrective measures.
Commercial softeners work by coating the fibers of fabric, thus plumping the filaments and reducing static electricity. Clothing laundered with fabric softeners tends to be fluffy, lightly scented and less wrinkled. Over time, however, the chemicals in fabric softeners can build up, reducing the absorbency of items such as towels and washcloths and creating a rough, scratchy surface.
To remove this residue from towels, sheets and other linens, wash the items as usual but add 1 cup of distilled white vinegar to the final rinse. The acid in the vinegar softens the fibers while stripping away any excess or unwanted chemicals. You may need to repeat this treatment a number of times to remove all the residue.
In certain parts of the country, the water from the tap has a naturally high mineral content. While these minerals cause no harm to people, they do create a number of housekeeping challenges such as water stains, toilet rings, dingy clothing and stiff fabrics. To soften hard wash water,
pour 1 cup of washing soda, 1/2 cup borax and 2 quarts of water in a large container, stir the solution briskly until all of the dry ingredients are dissolved, then add 1 cup of the mixture to each load of laundry along with the normal amount of detergent. Note: Washing soda, or sodium carbonate, is not the same thing as baking soda, so make sure you use the correct powder.
