It seems straightforward to take care of your towels. Put them in the washer, and you’re good to go, right? There’s a bit more to it than that. Depending on the fabric type and whether the towels are white or dark, you must use a different temperature setting and ingredients. Here are the top tips from laundry and cleaning experts for washing and maintaining towels correctly.
How to take care of your towels?
Towels should be washed on cold or warm in their load, independent of clothing or linens. Use the gentle cycle when washing towels. It is best to wash white towels separately from towels of different colours.
Using bleach, household cleaners, or personal care products containing benzoyl peroxide or alpha hydroxyl acids will cause discolouration and staining. Towels can be irreparably discoloured or stained when in contact with products containing bleaching agents.
Use only as much detergent as your detergent manufacturer recommends. It is possible for your towels to feel rough and stiff if you use too much detergent.
Liquid fabric softener can reduce the absorbency of the Towel, which can cause waxy buildup.
Whenever you are done using a towel, hang it on a hook or rack to air dry. If you want your towels to retain their softness after washing, use low heat when machine drying them.
Make sure your towels are clean, dry, and well-ventilated. Before folding your towels, give them a shake to keep them fluffy.
The towel loop should be used carefully while hanging and removing towels from hooks. The loop can break and come off if you apply too much pressure and tension.
Where should you store your towels?
In addition to being the smallest room in the house, bathrooms are among the busiest, so good towel storage ideas are essential. Everyone needs a towel after a bath or shower, so make sure it’s clean, dry, and readily accessible after bathing or showering.
As well as storing dry towels neatly in bathroom storage ideas, used towels must be stored somewhere rather than hanging over the bath or lying on the floor. In that case, where should they be kept? A towel radiator is the ideal solution.
Having a warm bathroom is one of those little pleasures in life that you don’t think you need until you experience it. Opting for a bathroom radiator is the go-to method for many households that never want to go back to that unpleasant feeling of stepping into a cold room after a hot shower. Well, those radiators have another little pleasure for you. Keep your towels and robes there, and they will also have that warm, pleasant feeling every time you use them.
How often should you replace your towels?
There are several factors you need to consider when it comes to the frequency in which you should change your towel. Based on how often you use it, how well you care for it, and your hygiene habits, you can decide for yourself when it’s time to change it. As a general rule of thumb, getting new towels every 2 to 5 years will get the job done for you. Of course, if you notice any damages, permanent stains, and odours or the towel is less absorbent, then that is a sure indicator that it is time for a new one.
When you dry your body, you can create an ideal breeding environment for harmful organisms on your towel, as it absorbs many body residue and oils. Wash your towels at least once a week to ensure that bacteria and germs will not accumulate. This will help you increase the lifespan of your towels.
In addition to considering your towel’s purpose, it’s essential to think when it’s time to replace it. The average time between replacements of bathroom towels is approximately two to five years, but the average time between replacements of kitchen towels is about one to two years.
What to do with your old towels?
Making your old bathroom towels eco-friendly and reducing household waste is easy with a second life. Repurposing them is the most sustainable way to go, and you can achieve this in a variety of ways, such as:
Create cleaning rags from them
Clean surfaces with old towels, mop spills and other messes around the house with these cleaning cloths and rags. This method will reduce your waste since you can wash and reuse them multiple times.
Donate to a local animal shelter
Animal shelters can use your old towels for bedding or cleaning up after animals if they are in good condition. Alternatively, you can stuff them into pillowcases or sew them together to create a soft, comfortable surface for your pet if you don’t know of any local shelters to donate them to.
They can be used as padding when moving. Old towels are perfect for padding storage boxes or protecting fragile items when moving homes.
The bath mats can also be used as floor mats
By cutting your old towels to the desired size and shape, you can use them as DIY bath mats if they are still absorbent and in good condition. Your recycled bath mat can look aesthetically pleasing with the help of creative tutorials on the Internet.
They can be used as insulation
During the colder months, old towels can be used to insulate windows and doors.
Consider turning them into soap holders
You can use soap bars instead when you don’t want to use shower gel. After contact with water, your old towels will become mushy if sewn into soap bar holders.
Convert them into reusable sanitary pads
There is usually a lot of plastic waste generated when disposable period products are produced. Not only will you make your life more sustainable, but you’ll also spend less money on these products if you reuse your old towels.
Put them to use as bibs for your baby
Even beginners can easily make baby bibs from old towels. A friend or relative’s baby shower is the perfect place to give it as a gift if you don’t have a child.
Make pot holders out of them
You can customise your recycled pot holders as you see fit, and it’s an easy sewing project.
Donate to a textile recycling program
Consider donating old towels to textile recycling programs if they can’t be repaired or repurposed.
Conclusion
The right way to wash towels and bathroom linens can help them last for many years and help you save money in the long run. Towels get dirty and worn over time, and while having spa-like matching hand and bath towels may be a status symbol-or at least a sign that you’re finally an adult-it’s a false notion. By following the tips from this article, you will become the domestic cleaning guru your towels need.
