HOW TO KEEP YOUR TOWELS WHITE, SOFT AND FLUFFY

Have you ever been put off buying white towels because you are afraid they will look greyish and dirty in time?  

People always tell me they don’t want to buy white towels because they think its so difficult to keep them white.

Here is my two pennies worth on how to keep your towels whiter, softer and fluffier than ever.

RULE 1 - ONLY WHITES - NOTHING BUT WHITES

Although this point sounds very simple and widely known, you would be surprised to know how many people out there wash light colours with whites (I know my husband does it behind my back)!

You would think a merely light blue t-shirt won’t do any harm, but in fact, no matter how light it is, any coloured fabric make whites look dull and greyish in time when washed together.

So no lighter grey, light blue, not even beige with the white wash.

RULE 2 - READ THE LABEL

In the past, I never followed instructions on labels when it came to washing towels (I washed them at 60 degrees with lots of detergent and softener) until I get into the towel business and had to produce different labels for different products.

We test wash each product in different temperatures to find the optimal washing temperature to ensure the maximum absorbance without compromising on the quality of the product. If you don’t know the meaning of the label signs, check out here.

So follow the instructions on the label, you will see the difference right away.

RULE 3 - MORE DETERGENT DOESN’T MEAN CLEANER TOWELS

It is very important to use the right amount of detergent when it comes to laundering towels. Excessive detergent stays on the towels and don’t get rinsed properly. This can prevent towels from absorbing water and they become hard when they dry.

And never ever use softener - softeners are designed to stick on the fibres and gives them a coating (hence the soft feeling) and therefore impacts the absorbency of your towels.

RULE 4 - BLEACH OR NOT TO BLEACH?

Personally I am not a big fan of bleaching. It is not only harmful to the environment but also shortens the life of your towels because it breaks the cotton fibres in the towel.

The eco-friendly alternative to bleaching (and actually works really well) is vinegar. Half a cup of white wine vinegar will remove stains and whitens your towels.

You can always use the oxy-powders for whites as an alternative but vinegar is a lot cheaper and does the job too.

RULE 5 - FLUFF THAT TOWEL

Always shake the towels really well before hanging them up to dry or put them in the tumble dryer. This helps get rid of the fallen threads and help separate the cotton looms in the towel which makes the towel fluffy.

For maximum fluffiness, I recommend tumble drying in low heat. High temperatures will break the cotton fibres and your towels get old quicker. Don’t fill the dryer too much as this can limit the towels movement and takes longer to dry.

It is true that white towels require a bit more TLC, but the result is brighter, whiter, and softer towels wash after wash.