How to wash towels: effective ways to bleach and clean terry materials

It’s nice to wrap your body in a soft, fluffy terry towel after bathing procedures. But, unfortunately, terry very quickly loses its attractive appearance and properties to absorb moisture.

What to do with washed terry towels, how to wash them at home?

Knowing some secrets and rules will help you quickly solve the problem and return the terry cloth to a clean, fresh look and softness.

How to wash terry towels (washed) at home by hand?

Hand washing is the most gentle way to remove dirt.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Pour a sufficient amount of warm water into the container.
2. Add acetic acid at the rate of 200 ml per 50-60 liters of liquid. It will soften the water well.
3. Place the towel in the liquid and wash by hand.
4. Soak the laundry for 30 minutes in the washing solution to remove difficult to remove stains.
5. Gently squeeze out the soapy water.
6. Rinse in sufficient volume of clean water or under running tap water.

Often, after drying, the terry becomes hard. To prevent this from happening, after rinsing, place the fabric in a weakly concentrated salt mixture for 30 minutes. Then it is rinsed well again and squeezed out.

Dry textiles outdoors.

Ammonia and glycerin

Different types of contaminants are removed with formulations of different concentrations, prepared from two ingredients:

1. For removing stubborn tea or coffee stains. Prepared from 1 part ammonia and 4 parts glycerin. Impregnate dirty areas with the composition, leave for an hour, after which the product is sent for washing.
2. For normal washing. Prepare a solution from ammonia and water in a 1:1 ratio. The laundry is soaked for an hour, then washed.

Lemon acid

An excellent means of removing coloring pigments of plant origin from ripe tomatoes, beets, and berries.

Read more ► How to whiten white clothes with aspirin at home

The procedure for removing stains with citric acid is as follows:

1. Wet the problem area with warm water and apply a sufficient amount of laundry soap to it.
2. Squeeze out excess liquid.
3. Pour citric acid onto the stain and leave for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse thoroughly.

Vinegar

In many regions, tap water is highly hard; vinegar is added to soften it in a ratio of 1:100.

How to dry and store?

In order for soft, clean towels to have their original appearance after bleaching and washing, they must be stored correctly. To avoid overdrying, it is unacceptable to place them on heating devices or under scorching sunlight. It is better to do this in a cool, well-ventilated place .
It is advisable to place them for storage on cabinet shelves in a free state, without filling the space to capacity. Terry fabric must “breathe” and then it will remain voluminous and soft . There are removable shelves with a mesh structure on sale, you can use them.

By following all the above rules, you can extend the life and appearance of snow-white terry towels. What will give you unforgettable pleasure at the time of taking morning hygiene procedures and will lift your spirits for the whole day.

What are reinforced threads?

Skirt styles for women 50 years old photo

Machine washable terry towels

Terry fabrics are considered delicate. Such items are washed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, which are reflected on specially sewn-in labels.

If such information cannot be obtained, adhere to generally accepted washing rules for delicate fabrics:

1. Set the temperature mode in the range of 40-60 0C.
2. Special ingredients are used to reduce water hardness, with preference given to tablet forms.
3. Liquid detergents are used. Unlike powders, they are easier to rinse out of terry fibers. To remove stubborn stains from light-colored laundry, liquid bleaches such as Vanish, Edelstar, and PreWash Spray are used.
4. Before washing, it is recommended to place special beating balls in the drum, which give the material softness and volume.
5. Load a certain amount of laundry, depending on the parameters of the washing machine. The volume of things should not occupy more than ¾ of the drum space.

It is not so easy to rinse soap out of terry material.

Recommended:

• turn on re-rinsing;
• use conditioner with silicone components or for baby clothes (Vernel, Lenor, “Eared Nanny”) in the amount indicated on the label;
• add a pinch of table salt or baking soda to the conditioning section.

For spinning, select a gentle mode, in the range of 400-600 rpm. In this case, it is possible to avoid deformations in the fabric structure. The terry will be soft and fluffy if the spin function is not turned on at all.

It is advisable not to wash towels with other things, especially those with zippers, buttons, and hooks.

Read more ► Washing tulle to make it snow-white, choosing products, temperature and program

Features of the process depending on the color and type of material

The type of material from which the towel is made directly affects the choice of washing temperature.

Thus, washed cotton fabrics can be washed perfectly at high temperatures (above 60°C). Boiling is also allowed for such products.

Linens with a combined fabric composition (synthetic and cotton) are washed at a temperature not exceeding 40C. Synthetic towels are washed at temperatures no higher than 35°C.

There are also certain washing rules for colored, dark and white terry towels. Colored, dark and white linens are always washed separately .

For white towels (provided they have a natural composition), you can set the washing machine temperature to 90°C. For colored fabrics, the washing temperature is limited to 40-60°C.

How to whiten white towels at home: 5 ways

There are five most effective and simple ways to whiten.

Boiling

Boiling bleaching technology has been known for a long time:

1. Add laundry soap crushed into shavings to a sufficient amount of hot water (large saucepan).
2. Place a terry cloth in a boiling pan, bring the liquid to a boil and leave for 30 minutes.
3. Wait until the product and the liquid cool down to normal temperature.
4. Rinse the item thoroughly.

Hydrogen peroxide

Suitable for quick whitening of laundry. To obtain the working composition, pour 3 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide and 1 teaspoon of ammonia into a container with 10 liters of hot water.

The components are mixed, then:

1. Towels are dipped into the composition and soaked in it.
2. The container with all the contents is placed on the fire, the liquid is brought to a boil.
3. Towels are “boiled” for at least 30 minutes.
4. Rinse off dirt and bleaching agents.

After the procedure, the item should brighten significantly.

Potassium permangantsovka

The ingredient, when combined with simple soap, perfectly whitens fabrics.

Requires 2 basins with warm water:

1. Crushed soap (200 g) is poured into the 1st basin, and potassium permanganate crystals are diluted in the 2nd basin to a bright pink color.
2. Drain the liquids into one container and mix. The solution should be brown.
3. Towels are dipped into a bowl of liquid.
4. Soak for 6 hours.
5. Rinse.

Vegetable oil

Dirty stains soaked in vegetable oil become softer and are easier to remove from terry cloth.

Ingredients for the composition:

• hot water – 5 l;
• detergent - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• bleach, vegetable oil (odorless), vinegar 70% - 1 tbsp. spoon.

Whitening procedure:

1. Combine, mix and dissolve the ingredients, adding the oil last.
2. Soak the towel in the liquid for 10-12 hours.
3. Wring out, wash.

Specialized bleaches

Universal compositions containing active oxygen allow you to carefully and effectively make towels crystal white. The most popular are Edelstar from Faberlic and PreWash Spray from Amway.

Read more ► How to whiten a white blouse: 7 folk recipes if it has turned gray or yellowed

We bleach with special means

In cases where it is necessary to quickly wash and return whiteness without boiling, home methods may be powerless, since the task is quite complex. The network giant Amway will come to the rescue with its universal bleach. The label states that it is correct to use in the washing machine, but stubborn stubborn stains are best removed by hand.

1. Pour enough boiling water into the basin to process the prepared laundry.
2. Add the miracle cure in the following proportion: a tablespoon per liter of liquid and stir.
3. We immerse the terry products in the solution so that it completely covers them.
4. We wait until it cools down, after which we can wash it in the same basin.
5. Rinse and dry.

In especially difficult situations, boiling and increasing the duration of soaking to 6–8 hours are permissible.

Washing terry towels in a washing machine - video:

Processing terry towels without washing

If the item is generally clean, but a separate area needs to be cleaned, then you can use the following methods:

1. Combine 1 part vinegar with 2 parts water. Soak the stain with the resulting mixture and wait 10 minutes.
2. Mix 0.5 tsp. salt and 50 ml of ammonia. Apply the mixture to the stain and leave for several minutes.
3. Soak the dirty area with hydrogen peroxide and allow time to remove the dirt.

Finally, rinse off the applied ingredients under running water.

Care

To make terry towels soft and pleasant to the body, they need to be properly cared for. Let's look at the rules for caring for these things:

• Do not keep a terry towel wet for a long time, as it will acquire an unpleasant odor and mold may form as a result.
• Don't throw your towel in the laundry basket with other dirty items. Terry can quickly absorb moisture and unpleasant odors.
• Wash dirty terry towels immediately to prevent dirt from being absorbed into the fibers of the fabric.
• Due to excessive dryness, terry becomes hard, so it is not advisable to dry such things near heating devices.

Use of vegetable oil

To prepare the solution, take:

• vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons;
• soda ash - 1 spoon;
• liquid bleach – 2 tablespoons;
• washing powder – 1 cup;
• salt – 2 tablespoons.

Take a large saucepan covered with enamel and boil water, put all the ingredients in it, stir. Place the towels in the solution and boil for 40 minutes. Wait until the contents of the pan have cooled completely. Once the towels have cooled completely, remove them and rinse well.

If you do not want to boil, then leave the towels in the hot solution for a day. Then remove them from the solution and rinse.

A few tricks

• To keep your towels clean longer, add potato starch when rinsing.
• Iron dry kitchen textiles.
• To eliminate unpleasant odors from vinegar, ammonia and plain soap, use fabric softener. If you don't trust professional chemistry, use essential oils. When rinsing, add a couple drops of essential oil to the water.
• Do not boil products with a pattern, it will spoil.
• Do not use terry towels in the kitchen. They quickly become dirty, which causes a lot of pathogenic microflora to multiply between the fibers.
• Immediately after using bath towels, dry them thoroughly.

Bleaching towels is not difficult, the main thing is to choose the right method and means.

Vinegar

You can remove grease, rust and mold from kitchen towels using table vinegar. Soak kitchen towels in vinegar (6% or 9%) for 15-20 minutes. Using a soft toothbrush, scrub particularly dirty areas and wash the laundry as usual.

Vinegar will help get rid of grease, rust and mold on kitchen towels.

Lemon acid

Citric acid will help remove stains and whiten kitchen towels. This way you can get rid of traces of tomato sauce and beets, as well as old stains.

Wash the towels, wring them out and sprinkle citric acid on the stains. Leave for impact. Fresh stains need 10-15 minutes, old stains will need about 1 hour. After the procedure, shake off the acid and rinse the towels.

Citric acid will help get rid of old stains and whiten kitchen towels

Boiling

Although outdated, it is a very effective way to get rid of stains.

Dilute a standard amount of powder or soap shavings in an enamel bucket, add soda or salt to enhance the effect (1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water). You can add a little dishwashing detergent. Boil the towels for 30 minutes (or 1 hour if heavily soiled). After the procedure, rinse the laundry thoroughly.

Never use the boiling method on brightly colored kitchen towels.

Purchased funds

The assortment of modern stores is rich in various household chemicals. On the shelves of the supermarket you will find soap, liquids, washing gels and powders, stain removers, bleaches, etc.

Washing powders

The best powders that have proven themselves in the fight against difficult stains:

• Sarma Active;
• BiMax 100 spots automatic;
• Persil Expert Frosty Arctic.

They are universal, suitable for any fabric, they can be used for soaking, hand washing, and machine washing.

Stain removers

Stain removers are used for colored items, including towels. As a rule, they are based on active oxygen. The best stain removers, according to housewives:

• “Sarma Active 5 in 1” (copes with complex stains even in cool water, ideal for all types of kitchen towels);
• “Ace Oxi Magic” (available for white and colored items, works even at low temperatures, designed for any type of washing);
• “Heitmann OxiWash Intensiv” (removes stains from colored and white textiles, used for machine wash only).

Bleaches

For white towels, bleaches are more suitable, as they usually not only remove stains, but also lighten the fabric.

Important: Aggressive chlorine-containing products are excellent at removing stubborn stains, but they thin out the fibers and cause towels to wear out faster.

The most popular chlorine bleaches are “Ace” and “Whiteness”.

Oxygen-containing bleaches are identical to stain removers. They cope best with complex stains:

• Chirton Oxygen;
• Vanish;
• Bos+;
• Persol.

It is recommended to use bleaches and stain removers for soaking and then add to the powder/gel during washing.

If the stains are old or complex

The towel should be soaked for several hours (at least 2 hours, if the product is cotton or linen, then for 8-10 hours) in warm water with powder and stain remover or bleach. To 10 liters of water add 150 g of powder and 70-80 g of bleach. After soaking, the product must be rubbed well, then washed in an automatic machine.

Useful tips

Try to follow these recommendations and you won’t spend a lot of time doing laundry.

• Wash towels frequently.
• Do not allow stains to dry.
• Use several sets of towels at a time.
• To remove stains and greasy marks, use paper napkins; you don’t mind throwing them away.
• Do not dry dirty dishes and furniture with a towel.
• After washing, be sure to iron the product.
• Linen and cotton towels can be boiled.
• Do not boil colored items, they may fade.
• Use oxygen bleaches to remove stains.
• Do not dry the product near heat sources, as this will allow dirt to penetrate deeper into the fabric.