How to wash kitchen towels at home without spending the family budget on purchasing powders? There are many folk recipes for this that will solve the problem no worse than store-bought remedies.
Washing kitchen towels will not be very difficult if you remember a few important tips:
To make all your towels shine and smell fresh and clean, choose any of these products as soon as possible.
Thanks to dry mustard, which our grandmothers used, you can tidy up very dirty towels.
Using this recipe, you can also bleach gray towels:
Yes, yes, yes, don't be surprised! Washing kitchen towels using vegetable oil is very easy and simple:
Ordinary table vinegar is an excellent helper for every good housewife, because it breaks down fat. Soak the towels in warm vinegar water (0.5 cup is enough) for about half an hour and wash in a machine.
Soda can efficiently wash even very dirty textiles. For washing, it is available in two versions at once.
Option 1 – for machine and hand wash
Option 2 – for boiling white towels
It will not only wash the dishes, but also quickly wash kitchen towels. You just need to apply a little detergent to the stains of dry textiles and leave it overnight. Dishwashing detergent produces a lot of foam, so you need to rinse the towel well before putting it in the machine. If the stains do not disappear, repeat again.
A universal product that will not be superfluous for kitchen towels. This is an ideal choice for oily, old stains. Craftsmen know several methods for washing textiles with laundry soap.
Method 1 – for colored textiles:
- Lather the stains with soap.
- Place the towels in a plastic bag and tie it tightly.
- Leave the textiles overnight.
- They need to be washed in the morning.
Method 2 – using boiling:
Another great product for washing dirty towels. The main thing is to rinse them immediately, otherwise the glue may remain in the textile fibers.
How many times have we spilled red wine and coffee, black tea and fresh juices? How many times have these puddles been wiped off with a towel? That's it! It is probably already covered with a dozen spots. It's time to get rid of them!
How to wash kitchen towels at home, and at the same time remove the not-so-pleasant smell? Soap and ordinary potassium permanganate can help with this:
Now your kitchen textiles will be 100% clean!
I hope that you all love the pleasant touch of terry towels, their warmth and tenderness, but over time they can turn into a hard monster, become rough and prickly. Therefore, today I want to talk about how to wash terry towels so that they remain soft and fluffy. From this publication you will learn why terry towels become hard and how to restore their softness, as well as 10 rules for washing terry towels.
There are several reasons why terry towels become hard: first of all, the quality of tap water, the quality of the detergent, the quality of the fabric, the type and method of washing.
Water quality. It's no secret that in many cities tap water is hard, and the impurities in it during washing settle on the fibers of the fabric, making it rougher. Special water filters or water softeners can help here.
Detergent quality . It is very important that the detergent is soft, rinses well and does not clog fibers. Therefore, in order to keep terry towels soft, it is preferable to wash them with liquid detergents rather than powders. But if you still use washing powder for washing, then use an additional rinse.
Quality of terry fabric . Do not get carried away with cheap terry towels that have a low terry density (300 g/sq.m.) with the addition of synthetics. After several washes, the terry of such towels becomes wrinkled, and they lose their original appearance and become hard.
Washing method . Using the wrong wash cycle. Long-term washing at high temperatures and at high speeds damages and crushes terry, reducing its hygroscopicity. Ideally, terry towels should be washed by hand in plenty of water.
Drying method . Bathroom or drying towels on a dryer is not the best way. Limited space and the proximity of artificial heat sources have a detrimental effect on terry threads. Terry products prefer to dry in the fresh air.
How to wash terry towels? It’s very simple - follow simple washing rules and you will always have excellent results.
Rule one
Wash terry towels with a mild liquid detergent, not washing powder, or use high-quality washing powders, preferably environmentally friendly without chlorine and phosphates.
Rule two
Use an extra rinse when washing terry towels with laundry detergent to thoroughly free the fibers of powder residue.
Rule three
To soften water, use 9% table vinegar. For 10 liters of water, 100-200 ml is enough. If you wash terry towels in the washing machine, you can pour half a glass of vinegar into the softener compartment to soften the rinse water.
Rule four
Wash terry towels in a gentle cycle, at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees and for a minimum time. They do not tolerate high temperatures and prolonged washing. In addition, terry towels are not as dirty as outerwear and they do not need high temperatures.
Rule five
Do not use high speeds for spinning; 500 rpm is enough, and if you are sure that your towels will dry well in the fresh air, then you don’t need to spin at all. Just take the towel out of the machine, let the water drain, shake it off, and hang it to dry. In this case, the terry will not be crushed, and your towels will retain their softness.
Rule six
Terry towels absorb water well, so they cannot be washed in the economical mode. In order for them to stretch well in a sufficient amount of water and remain soft, load the washing machine no more than 2/3 of the total volume.
Rule seven
Special balls for washing down products, placed in the drum of the washing machine, will help fluff up the terry during washing and spinning, and your towels will not lose their pleasant softness. If you don't have special balls, you can use regular tennis balls, but be careful. These balls can shed and stain your items.
Rule eight
Never boil terry products. This will not make them cleaner, it will only absorb the terry and make the product hard. To wash a heavily soiled towel, soak it overnight in a double solution of detergent and wash it as usual in the morning.
Rule nine
Only bleach white towels, and only as a last resort, because you may not always get the expected results.
Rule ten
Do not use regular fabric softeners for rinsing, they will make your towels hard. Many of them even say that they cannot be used for terry fabrics (For example, Lenore). For rinsing, you can use a conditioner with silicone (at least Well Hous fabric softener), it increases the hygroscopicity of the fabric or conditioners for children's clothes. Just don’t get carried away; excess conditioner can cause an unpleasant odor in the washing machine.
If you want your terry towels to always be soft, then follow these simple rules for washing terry towels. I hope that you will be interested in the information that you will learn about on the pages of my blog.
Over time, terry towels become stiff, especially if you don't wash them properly, but there are ways to help them regain their former softness.
There are several ways to make hard, washed towels softer.
You can soak hard towels overnight in plenty of water so that the remaining powder is washed out of the lint, and in the morning rinse and dry, but not in a radiator, but in the fresh air, and without over-drying.
If the towel is already old, then after washing it should be soaked for 30 minutes in a salt solution or even washed with salt - 2 tablespoons of salt per 5 kilograms of laundry. It is better to use crushed sea salt, mixing it with washing powder. This water becomes soft and washes terry fabrics better.
If the towel is already “stone”, then laundry soap will come to the rescue. Hard towels are soaked in warm water with grated laundry soap, washed by hand, rinsed in a vinegar solution, shaken off and hung outside.
You can soften a terry towel by washing it in spring water or placing it in a bucket of clean snow for several hours. But this method of extreme cooling is not available to all housewives.
I hope you found the information useful on how to wash terry towels to keep them soft and fluffy.
Sincerely, Nadezhda Karacheva
If it suddenly turns out that your favorite towel has become hard, lost its brightness or turned gray, there is no need to be upset. Washed terry towels will still serve. Simple methods will help restore their color and fluffiness.
With the advent of washing machines and universal powders into our lives, the rules of washing are forgotten. It is worth remembering them and putting them into practice.
Washed towels look unpleasant. It looks like they haven't been washed for a long time. This can be fixed, but it will require additional funds. You can use bleach and rinse aids, or you can use home remedies. Every housewife has salt, soda, mustard and vinegar, laundry soap and vegetable oil in her home.
Soaking is an effective method.
It is best to soak overnight, but there are several options for soaking:
After this procedure, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the terry products in a large volume of water.
Wash.
When washing towels that have lost their appearance, you should add baking soda to the powder. It not only softens terry, but also disinfects and removes unpleasant odors.
Boiling.
It is not advisable to boil terry clothes. But if the towels are white, and there is no other way to return them to whiteness, then this method can be used.
For boiling, in addition to the powder, bleach is added to a bucket of water. Only bleach is suitable that does not lose its properties when boiled. You should carefully read the instructions for the bleach. Boiling time usually takes 50-60 minutes.
Instead of powder, you can add grated laundry soap and 1 tablespoon of silicate glue to a bucket of water. Boil for half an hour is enough.
Rinsing.
Steaming.
A vertical steamer will help lift the terry and restore fluffiness. After this procedure, you should let the towel dry flat.
If mold appears on the towel under prolonged exposure to moisture, 9% vinegar will help remove it. Dilute 2 tablespoons of vinegar in three liters of water. Soak the product for 10-15 minutes.
When removing heavily soiled areas, cleansers should be applied only to the stain.
It happens that it is not possible to put the towel in order in one go. The update procedure can be repeated 1-2 times.
If the result is not satisfactory, then most likely the product has expired. It is worth updating the towels and washing them according to the above rules.
It is better to wash at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees.
The main thing is not to use radical methods more than once a month, so as not to wear out the fabric ahead of time. If you care for your kitchen towels properly, they will last for several years.
Bleaching with vegetable oil will help you wash kitchen towels from greasy and any other stains, and get rid of yellowness or grayness. This method is as simple as possible, but it works 100%. In addition, it is quite versatile - suitable for washing terry and waffle towels, colored and light.
Instructions:
This method is the first aid for dirty towels. Bleach removes grease and plant stains well, disinfects and eliminates unpleasant odors, and whitens yellowed or gray towels.
Important! Only oxygen-containing bleach is suitable for washing in the washing machine. Moreover, it is suitable for both white and colored linen. Even if your machine allows the use of bleach, you should not overuse it, as it is harmful to both the fabrics and the machine itself.
Instructions:
Boiling will help if you don't have a washing machine in the house or if the towels seem so dirty that it's easier to throw them away than try to wash them.
Important! Colored kitchen towels should not be boiled.
Washing powder can be replaced with a mixture of laundry soap (72%) and soda. Grate the soap on a medium grater at the rate of 2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water, pour the shavings into the water, then add soda at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon per 1 liter of water. Next, boil the kitchen towels in this solution, following the basic instructions above. You can also use baking soda and soap separately.
The simplest and most effective remedy for the stench of moldy towels is vinegar.
In the washing machine:
Citric acid can remove stains of various origins, but is especially effective at removing stains from beets and tomatoes.
Instructions:
Hydrogen peroxide is suitable for removing old stains of various origins.
Instructions:
Terry towels are soft and gentle. Very often, after several washes, they not only lose their appearance, but also become hard. In order for terry products to retain their original appearance and softness, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of specialists.
Manufacturers of terry towels use fairly durable dyes, but it is better to completely eliminate the possibility of dyeing, since practice shows that terry tends to stain.
It is better to wash colored towels together. During the washing process, products lose their brightness of colors. If you wash them at the same time, they will lose their brightness equally, which will be invisible to the eye.
Kitchen towels often become dirty during cooking. Dishware options are used for wiping dishes, so they should always be clean. They should be machine washed. For white models, you can use water at a temperature of 90 to 95 degrees; for colored models, the temperature regime should not exceed 60 degrees.
Snow-white models are allowed to boil, but first you need to get rid of the stains, since upon contact with hot water the stains will be firmly attached to the product, and their removal will be impossible.
For boiling, you need to use a metal container, which can be either enameled or aluminum. It should not be rusty, so as not to spoil the white products.
Washing in hot water does not always remove stains, then you can use a stain remover. But not all manufacturers offer quality products. An effective stain remover is not cheap. To avoid damaging the pile of the product during washing, they should not be washed together with clothes that have plastic or metal fittings.
To remove old stains, you can use a stain remover. It should be applied exclusively to the contaminated area of the product. After using the stain remover, the towel should be rinsed thoroughly in plenty of water.
To wash bath towels and hand wraps well, you should use only liquid detergent, since it does not greatly affect the structure of the pile and the softness of the products. When washing bath towels It is worth using a large amount of water. If the products will be washed in a machine, then its drum should not be more than a third full. Many experts recommend twisting terry products by hand so that the products retain their shape and do not wear out so quickly.
To wash heavily soiled towels, you can use traditional methods. The most popular means are laundry soap and ammonia. An excellent method is boiling, and add 1 tablespoon of ammonia to 5 liters of water.
Popular folk remedies:
Quite rarely, terry towels are washed by hand, since this process requires a lot of effort and time. Most women use an automatic washing machine.
Before washing terry towels in a washing machine, it is necessary to choose the right washing powder, since the softness of the products depends on its choice. Experts strongly recommend refusing to use laundry detergent; it is better to give preference to a liquid detergent. It is ideal not only for terry products, but also for washing other products, for example, blankets.
The advantage of liquid laundry gel is that it is excellent at removing stains from fabric fibers.
Terry is characterized by a complex structure, as it includes a large number of fibers in the form of loops. If you use washing powder, its particles may remain in the loops, thereby creating unpleasant hardness. If you do not change the powder to liquid gel, then after a few washes the towel will be completely unusable.
It is strictly forbidden to use terry towels for washing. various bleaches. They only bring harm to such products. To make the product soft, use only liquid detergents and add a small amount of vinegar. The liquid product removes stains, and the vinegar makes terry products soft.
After choosing a detergent, it is very important to select the correct washing machine program. When choosing it, you should consider the following parameters:
You should not choose economical options as they usually use little water. Washing terry products requires a lot of water, since terry absorbs water well. Rinsing them will also require a large amount of water. Programs designed for washing baby clothes are an excellent choice, as they use enough water to rinse thoroughly.
It is better to use an additional rinse. It will eliminate any residual detergent, especially if you use powder rather than liquid for washing.
To remove stains better, you should use an additional soak before machine washing. You can use a soap solution, but the water should not be hot. For better results, add vinegar to the water. One liter of water will require approximately 15 ml of vinegar.
Experts recommend purchasing special balls designed for breaking terry. They are placed in the drum of an automatic machine and are inside both during washing and rinsing. The presence of a ball is a natural way of fluffing terry.
Even if the towel is the same color as your socks, pants or jacket, you should not wash them together. Terry products should be washed separately, because it is not hygienic, and terry pellets may remain on the cotton fabric.
To thoroughly wash a terry towel from dirt, you should use detergents that do not contain chlorine. To remove paint or tea stains, use a chemical bleach or stain remover.
To wash heavily soiled kitchen towels, you can use laundry soap. The product must be thoroughly rubbed with soap, placed in a plastic bag and tied tightly. It should be left in this form for 12 hours. Next, wash the towel as usual.
Dirty white towels can be soaked in a special bleach solution. To prepare it you will need only 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1.5 tablespoons of bleach in powder form and 100 g of washing powder per 5 liters of boiling water. The presence of sunflower oil will help you cope with old stains.
To properly wash products at home from yellowness, a soda solution is perfect. A bucket of water will require a third of a glass of soda. The towel needs to be soaked in the prepared solution for about two hours, and then boiled in the same solution for half an hour.
To remove fresh blood, soak the item in cold water. For old stains, only warm water is suitable. You can use laundry soap to quickly remove blood stains.
Terry towels often become stiff after numerous washes. To keep them soft, you can add vinegar when washing in an automatic washing machine.
When washing by hand, vinegar can be used to soak the item. You need to fill a basin with water and add a little vinegar. Soak a towel in the resulting liquid for a while. This will also help get rid of stubborn stains.
Another method that will make the terry soft is to use salt. The water for soaking or rinsing should be slightly salted.
Water hardness plays an important role. If in a certain region it is quite hard, then terry towels can be washed with different products, but they still will not be soft enough. A small addition of vinegar to the water will help you cope with this problem. During the last rinse, just add 200 ml of vinegar to a bucket of water.
To make terry towels soft, you can use another method. It is necessary to fill any container with cool water and place washed towels there and leave until the morning. Then the products should be rinsed thoroughly in fresh water and hung to dry. This method will completely get rid of powder residues on the product.
It is strictly forbidden to use an iron. If you want to iron your towels, then you can only use steam. Some towels even have a sign on the tag that prohibits ironing this product.
Terry towels absorb surrounding odors and moisture very quickly, so they should not be thrown into the basket with dirty clothes. After just a few days, mold may form on the product. If the towel is dirty, do not put off washing.