A popular TikTok user has revealed a very nifty trick that’ll help keep towels soft and fluffy, even after running them through the washing machine.
It might still be summer, but we’re not too far away from those cold nights and dark mornings drawing in. Luckily, this TikTok hack has come with enough time for you to prepare for those chilly mornings and cosy evenings.
There’s nothing better than a piping hot shower or a relaxing, steamy bath when it’s grey and wet outside, but having to wrap yourself in a dry, scratchy towel is one sure-fire way to ruin any moment of bliss.
Because washing towels can often leave them coarse and missing that bouncy, fluffiness, TikTok’s Lara de Barra has come up with a neat trick to try.
The Irish TikTok star has amassed over 16 thousand followers through her homecare tips. She has also shared the tips and tricks she swears by in a book, Gaff Goddess.
Letting users in on her cheap, simple way to give towels their soft, fluffy texture back, Laura replied to a fan’s question about fibres getting tough after washing.
@lauradebarra Answer to @bantics ##towels ##towelhack ##homemaintenance ##gaffgoddess ##cleaninghack ##cleantok ##cleaningtiktok ##cleaninghack ##washinghack ##clean
♬ original sound - LauradeBarra
She said, "If you find that your towels are quite crispy or hard after washing, it's because of a build-up of product in the fibres."
She goes on to explain that the common mistake a lot of us make fails to take into account the very nature of towels. She explains, “If we think about towels, by nature, their superpower is absorption, so if it's in a wash and there hasn't been enough rinsing, that's usually due to the drum being too full or you've actually used too much detergent.”
"It's going to build up inside the fibers of the towel, this then means that the towel ends up not absorbing things so well, it doesn't dry things properly and it's rough to the touch."
Before you think about binning any coarse towels and buying new, Laura has a potentially cost-saving tip to try instead.
She explains in her TikTok tutorial, "To get them soft again, what you need to do is put the towels into a wash with no detergent at all. So, throw your towels into the drum as normal and then you're going to put two cups of vinegar into the detergent drawer.”
"Vinegar is an absolutely stunning non-toxic cleaner. She's brilliant at cleansing fibres of that build-up of detergent. She also eliminates odours and she's just stunning all round for your machine in general."
As well as using vinegar, Laura suggests people turn down the heat on their wash, too.
"Pop on your cycle, warm. Not roasting hot because that can also make cotton towels a bit crispy.” She suggests running the load on “around 60.”
For older towels that might need a bit more TLC to soften up, Laura explains that another household ingredient can come in handy: bicarbonate of soda.
She explains, "You'll probably need a second wash where you're going to put in a cup of bicarb into that detergent section in the drawer and you're gonna wash again."
She revealed that bicarbonate of soda is a great "natural cleaner" and helps to release any residue deeply ingrained into the fibers.
She also shares one other tip in the video, which is to shake the towels after washing them.
Laura recommends “vigorously shaking out” towels when air-drying them as it allows the fibers to open up more.
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