Why are towels after washing in the machine hard?
Terry towels are pleasing to the eye and pleasant to the body. They are most often made of cotton - it would seem, what difficulties can arise when washing? You load into the car, set the desired mode - no hassle. But what if the result disappointed you? Why are towels after washing in the machine hard and how to deal with it? You will learn about all this from this article.
to contents ↑Fabric structure
Before you start washing, try to examine the fabric. To do this, you need only one item - a magnifying glass. Look through her at the towel. You know that the surface is fluffy. But it consists of loops, which quite often are the main reason that:
- terry socks do not bend;
- favorite bathrobe is mercilessly scratching the body;
- the towel, in addition to all the troubles, also does not absorb water well, that is, it becomes unsuitable for what it was bought for.
The fact is that these loops, in addition to giving you a pleasant feeling and giving the product an aesthetic appearance, tend to lose shape. In addition, their poorly washed powder.
to contents ↑Why does terry cloth become stiff?
Do not rush to blame the washing machine or fabric manufacturer for everything if the towels are hard after washing in the vending machine. Towels become stiff after hand washing, and no less than after a machine. And material manufacturers have nothing to do with it. The reasons for this unpleasant, but by no means catastrophic, phenomena can be different:
- hard water;
- improperly selected detergent;
- the use of bleach;
- wrong washing mode;
- aggressive spin;
- boiling;
- drying on a battery or in direct sunlight;
- dry ironing.
to contents ↑Important! If your tap water is basically hard, it makes sense to think about how to put main flow filterwhich will solve not only the problem of hard clothes.
How to wash terry towels so that they are soft?
To get started, to find the reason why towels after washing in the machine are hard, find out everything about tap water. There are not many regions where tap water would not have lime salts at all. They are almost always there.
Important! When washing, such substances not only spoil the machine, but also settle in the fibers, which lose their inherent softness.
Water needs to be softened.
Vinegar
The usual table vinegar will help you out, and this method is suitable for both hand and machine wash.
Important! Vinegar needs three percent or nine percent. How much to add depends on the concentration.
What to do with vinegar:
- In 10 l of water add 100 ml of nine percent vinegar or 200 g of three percent vinegar.
- Hand wash fabric softener poured directly into the basin.
- If you wash it in an automatic machine, then pour this substance into the compartment of the tray where a snowflake or flower is drawn.
Soda
Baking soda can also help you out. Pour it into the air conditioning compartment - it will perfectly soften both water and fabric.
Other options:
- If there is no need to soften the water, but the towels become stiff anyway, do not forget about silicone based conditioner. It is for this purpose that it exists to soften the fabric. Pour it into the same compartment as vinegar.
- A rinse aid for baby clothes is also suitable.
But a conventional air conditioner is not suitable for such purposes. He will not cause harm, but there will be no benefit from him.
to contents ↑Important! Acetic essence is not suitable for such purposes. If you still have no other vinegar, you need to pour only a couple of drops into the water.
Choose a detergent
In fact, terry towels are not recommended to be washed with powder. Powder particles get stuck in loops; they are almost impossible to remove to the end. But in any hardware store, you can easily find other means to no longer think about why towels after washing in the machine are hard:
- gels;
- liquid powders;
- exotic remedies like soap nuts.
All of them are suitable for washing such a delicate material, since no solid particles get into the water, respectively - and into the loops of the fabric too. Choose phosphate-free detergents. Chlorine in such a delicate matter is also not an assistant, but rather an enemy.
to contents ↑Important! If you can not do without powder - set the additional rinse.
Getting ready for washing
Before loading towels into the car, it is better to sort them - to separate white from colored ones. As for other products, you can wash terry things with those for which you need the same mode.
to contents ↑Important! It is better to always load colored towels in the car all together - this little trick will prevent one of them from blooming more than the rest.
Choose a program
What is the temperature for washing towels in a washing machine? This is a very important point! Terry cloth is rather capricious and does not tolerate high temperatures, spinning at high speeds and low water consumption. Therefore, we set the following parameters:
- the program is standard;
- temperature - 60 ° С;
- spin mode - not higher than 800 revolutions.
to contents ↑Important! The program must be installed standard, with a normal flow rate. Terry cloth does not like saving. As for temperature, there may be options:
- for ordinary terry things, 60 ° C is just perfect;
- here for “shorn” - not higher than 40 ° C.
Soaking and washing
How to wash towels so that they remain soft? It depends on each stage. Before washing, whether in a basin or in an automatic machine, towels should be soaked. For such a moody fabric, there is no other way to get rid of spots.
to contents ↑Important! A very useful thing - balls for washingthat you can buy in the same place where you bought the car, or in a hardware store. If they are put in a drum with towels, they will not allow the loops to fall off and lose their shape.
Rinsing
Regardless of what means you used, terry things must be properly rinsed. Set the extra rinse mode.
to contents ↑Important! If you wash your hands, you will have to rinse 3-4 times, no less.
Spin
- With hand washing, everything is clear - towels are gently wrung out, trying not to twist them too intensely. But what if you wash in a car? Terry cloth is delicate material, it does not like aggression. Therefore, the spin mode should be gentle:
- The maximum is 800 rpm, and preferably 500.
- You can try even more delicate spinning at a speed of 300-350 rpm, but only if you are sure that you can quickly and correctly dry the laundry. If this is not possible, poorly wrung towels can also become moldy.
Can towels not be wrung out?
You can do without spinning. For example, using the regime designed for woolen products. After washing, terry things are just carefully removed from the car, squeezed out a little and hung to drain, and then dried in the open air.This is an ideal option, after which the fabric becomes as good as new.
to contents ↑How to dry?
With how to properly wash terry towels so that they are soft, we figured out a bit. But proper drying is an equally important process. Towels can be dried;
- in vertical position;
- in horizontal position;
- in the tumble dryer.
Option 1
If there is a tumble dryer, the terry can be dried in it quite calmly - the fabric from this will not only not become stiff, but, on the contrary, will soften and become more fluffy. But not everyone has such a device. If you were thinking about buying such a technique, check out our review, which describes in detail what criteria to choose, and there are rating of the best tumble dryers.
Option 2
Vertical drying is the most common process. Towels are simply hung on the dryer. Just keep in mind that drying terry things is better in the open air, but not in direct sunlight. A light breeze in the shade is just that.
Important! Before you hang a thing on a rope, shake it to straighten the villi.
Option 3
You can dry the towels horizontally by spreading them on a table or on the floor, after spreading a cotton cloth that absorbs excess moisture.
to contents ↑Important! Do not dry terry products near the battery or electric heater.
Can I iron?
Ironing terry towels is definitely not worth it. Dry ironing is especially dangerous. In some cases, towels can be steamed. The temperature should not exceed 150 ° C.
to contents ↑Important! If your iron has a function of vertical steaming - it will be very good, this process will help the villi stand perpendicular to the canvas, and the towel will become soft again.
Updating old towels
Terry products can lose their softness and tenderness simply from old age. You can try to update them.
Option 1
Cold water will help to make the towel soft:
- Soak a towel without detergent.
- Wait 10-12 hours.
- Gently wring out.
- Hang to dry.
Option 2
For this method, you need table salt (not iodized):
- Wash the towel.
- Prepare a concentrated solution of sodium chloride.
- Dip the towel in saline.
- Wait 30 minutes
- Rinse the product and dry.
to contents ↑Important! The towel can be separately and not soaked, and add salt to the machine when washing - a couple of spoons for 5 kg of laundry.
To keep the fabric soft
There are several simple ways to care for terry products that will allow them to remain soft:
- Put a separate basket for these items.
- Wet but not very dirty towels should be washed immediately.
- Do not load terry items and items with hooks or buttons at the same time into the machine.
- Use a special bag when washing.
- Trim puffs in a timely manner.
Why exactly so:
- If you put towels in a common basket - linen can lock up, or even become moldy. Not everyone has the opportunity to put a separate container for dirty laundry in the bathroom. In the absence of an additional basket, it is best to dry the towels first, and then put them on other things.
- Towels are rarely brought to the point where they need intensive washing. Most often, they just need to be refreshed. Therefore, it is wiser to wash them immediately.
- Metal hooks and buttons cause irreparable harm to the villi, so this neighborhood should be avoided if possible. If the puffs appeared, immediately cut them with ordinary nail scissors.
Stock footage
Now you know why towels after washing in the machine are hard and what to do in such a situation. We hope that after reading the information in our article, you have learned to properly care for terry towels, and now they are pleasant not only to the touch, but also smell of real freshness.