The most delicate towels made of soft terry fabric come into contact with our skin every day. I want to see them clean and fresh for as long as possible. But who hasn’t encountered a situation where children wiped their unwashed hands on a snow-white towel, or the husband grabbed the first thing that came to hand and took it to the garage? Then you have to rack your brains about how to wash dirty terry towels so that they don’t become prickly and lose their properties. Restoring terry is not so easy, but if you make an effort, it is quite possible.
How to wash different types of towels
The material from which the towel is made determines its purpose. For example, terry products absorb moisture well, but they need special care so as not to lose their properties.
Kitchen
Towels for household needs can be washed using folk remedies.
For example, a saline solution is often used (10 large spoons per bowl of water). The product is soaked for an hour and then washed in a machine. To remove stains from fruits and vegetables without boiling, you can use a combination of soap and lemon. First you need to soap the stains, then rub with a piece of citrus. After 5 minutes, you need to rinse the item.
Bleaching begins with soaking the product, and the water temperature should not be high. A suitable powder is poured into the compartment and ¾ cup of bleach is poured. It is recommended to wash light-colored materials at high temperatures, and for colored ones set to 60°C.
Bath waffles
They are machine washable:
- for white fabrics the temperature is 60°C, and for colored fabrics – 40°C;
- Light-colored products can be bleached using both folk and professional means.
When washing items, it is permissible to turn on the automatic spin cycle. In addition, waffle towels can be ironed with a hot iron without steaming.
Terry
Proper washing is carried out at low temperatures of 30-40°C, and you cannot set the “water saving” mode. In addition, it is important to use high-quality gels and conditioners so that detergents do not settle on the fibers.
Advice. To keep the towel fluffy, you should throw plastic laundry balls along with the product into the drum of the machine. They fluff up the loops and prevent them from “sticking” to the fabric.
How to wash a washed terry towel by hand?
Washing things by hand has a number of advantages, since you can monitor the entire process and, if necessary, add any ingredients to the water that will help soften the towels effectively and efficiently. To thoroughly wash washed, dirty terry products, you must proceed in the following sequence:
- Fill the bath with warm water. It is better not to use washing bowls, as terry cloth absorbs water strongly.
- Dilute any of the liquid detergents in water.
- If the water is very hard, you can add vinegar (1-2 cups per 1/3 bath).
- Wash the towel.
- Leave to sour in soapy water for 30 minutes.
- Drain dirty soapy water.
- Rinse the towel well under strong water pressure to remove all the detergent from the fibers.
- Fill the bath with clean warm water.
- Pour a small amount of salt into the water. It will help fluff the terry well and make it softer.
- Leave the towel in the water for 30 minutes.
- Rinse the product in salt water.
- Drain the water.
- Unscrew very carefully.
- Hang outside to dry.
Household chemicals for washing and adding softness
To eliminate grayness and add whiteness, bleaches are used:
- Chlorine-containing. The best products are Vanish and Rocket Soap - they are effective at low temperatures, but damage the fabric structure with frequent use.
- Oxygen. This chemistry is suitable for all materials. Popular brands are Ecodoo and Ludwik.
- Optical. They contain reflective particles that give the product whiteness. As a rule, such products are part of oxygen products.
Vanish, Amway, Ecover stain removers are aimed at removing specific stains from coffee, dirt, tea, and blood. To restore the softness of towels, you can use the German product Lenor - reviews about it are mostly positive. Gel Laska also gives softness and tenderness to the product and is suitable for all types of fabrics.
Universal products on sale: table
Name/price | Peculiarities | Usage |
Vanish OXI Action /200 rub. |
|
|
“BOS plus Maximum”/60 rub. |
|
|
Soap “Eared Nanny”/40 rub. |
|
|
Faberlic pencil (Faberlic)/120 rub. |
|
|
Now you know that it is possible to remove even very old stains. The main thing is to approach the solution of the problem correctly, and not to use the most aggressive methods on the principle of “what if it works out.” Become a confident winner in the eternal confrontation and enjoy the pleasure of the result.
Traditional methods
Time-tested folk recipes also help remove stains from towels. Before preparing solutions, wear protective gloves to avoid irritation of the skin of your hands.
Ammonia against coffee stains
At the pharmacy you can buy a universal solution for removing difficult stains - ammonia. It needs to be mixed with water in equal proportions, then applied to the dirt and left for an hour and a half. Next, the towel is soaked with the powder for 30 minutes and washed in the usual way.
Anti-fruit stain hair shampoo
First, hot water is filled into a basin and the towels are soaked in it. After this, the products are wrung out, and shampoo is foamed on the stains. After half an hour they are washed in a machine or by hand.
Soap for odor
Laundry soap is a universal product suitable for washing clothes, home textiles and towels. It helps to renew the appearance and remove the unpleasant odor that appears on towels due to mold and various contaminants.
First you need to prepare a solution of soapy water and potassium permanganate. The towels are washed and left overnight in a basin. In the morning you should rinse the products well.
Attention! There is no need to pour in a lot of potassium permanganate - the solution should turn out light pink. Otherwise, the towels may become stained, and it is difficult to remove the color of potassium permanganate.
Hydrogen peroxide
First, dirty towels should be washed with powder or gel.
Next, prepare a solution from the following ingredients: We recommend:
How to wash a down jacket
- hot water (approximately 70°C) – 6 l;
- peroxide – 50 ml;
- ammonia – 25 g.
The products should be soaked in a basin for half an hour, squeezed out and rinsed to remove the product from the fibers.
Soap and silicate glue
For cooking you will need 1 tbsp. l. silicate office glue, a piece of laundry soap and 10 liters of water. Boil towels in the solution and then rinse them.
Attention! The product must be washed thoroughly so that the glue is completely removed from the fabric fibers.
Chemicals for washing dishes
Such products are especially effective for washing kitchen towels, since a lot of grease accumulates on them. Simply drip a little gel onto the stains and leave overnight. After this, you need to wash it off and wash the towel.
Advice. Dishwashing detergents foam well, so you should rinse the product thoroughly under running water.
Boiling
Light-colored towels may turn gray over time. Some housewives, having tried different ways to wash things, decide to boil them.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with Bitumen stains - methods and means by which you can remove them from the car body
Old terry cloth may deteriorate when used at high temperatures. Sometimes this is the only method of returning freshness and whiteness.
Products made from bamboo are considered unpretentious in care, while products made from velor are more demanding. An effective recipe for boiling washed textiles:
- Pour 10 liters of water into a basin that can be heated on the stove.
- Add crushed soap or soda ash.
- Load a basin with white washed towels and place them on the burner that is on. Difficult stains must be washed off before heat treatment.
- Boil for no more than 20 minutes.
- Rinse the terry products several times; during the last rinse, the water should be clear. You can use half a cap of conditioner to remove the powerful soap smell.
- Dry the cleaned items in fresh air.
Carefully monitor the condition of your towels in order to remove dirt in a timely manner and avoid rapid wear of the fibers.
Washing towels of different colors
Different washing methods are used for white and colored fabrics. The fact is that colored products can turn pale, which negatively affects their external qualities.
The following methods are suitable for white towels:
- Laundry soap. First you need to soap the problem areas and put the product in a plastic bag, tying it tightly. You need to wait 8 hours and then wash it in a washing machine. This method allows you to both bleach terry towels that have been washed and lost their softness, and remove difficult stains from products made from other materials.
- Sunflower oil. You need to add a little product to the powder - this will return whiteness to white fabrics.
It is better to wash colored material at 40°C to prevent the color from fading. A mixture of 0.5 cups of salt and 1 tsp. ammonia helps refresh the color and remove old stains. You can also use a solution of 50 g of mustard powder and 1 liter of warm water. It is enough to soak the towel overnight.
Advice. It is recommended to look at the product label, which provides information on the washing mode, water temperature and suitable products.
Useful tips
- If your terry towels become stiff after washing, you can soak them in clean water overnight to remove any remaining detergent. In the morning, rinse, squeeze lightly and hang to dry in fresh air.
- If elongated loops appear on the product, you should not try to straighten them, it is better to simply cut off the problematic threads. The towel is not a knitted product, but a woven one, so when cutting the threads, nothing will happen to it, it will not unravel.
We looked at how to wash white clothes in a washing machine. How to wash by hand? Let's look at this next.
Options for using towel washing methods for other items
It is possible to return the color and wash a washed terry robe as a towel, but you need to pay attention to the decor of the product. For example, when washing in a machine, it is recommended to turn the robe inside out so as not to damage the buttons and drum.
Tips for washing towels are universal, so they can be used to treat clothes. However, first of all you need to pay attention to the features of the material and read the label on the product.
With the help of folk remedies, you can both wash washed terry towels at home and restore the whiteness and brightness of color to products for household needs. Bleach and fabric softener are also used to remove difficult stains. Sales consultants in household chemical stores can help you choose the right product depending on the purpose of washing and the material.
Rate this post
General rules of care
In order for terry towels to become gentle pets, they must be properly cared for. We will tell you about all the intricacies of washing, rinsing and drying below, but now the basic rules of care:
- Do not keep the towel wet for a long time, as it will begin to smell unpleasant, and as a result, mold may appear.
- Don't throw towels in the laundry basket with other dirty clothes. Terry absorbs moisture and unpleasant odor very quickly.
- It is necessary to wash dirty terry products immediately so that the dirt is not absorbed into the fibers of the fabric.
- Excessive dryness makes the terry hard, so you can’t dry the products near heating devices.
What to remember
- For bleaching, pre-soak with mustard, boric acid, laundry soap, soda, potassium permanganate.
- Use only liquid gels and detergents. The powder is difficult to rinse out of terry products.
- Ammonia and glycerin are suitable for removing stains. The mixture effectively removes stains from tea, coffee, and wine.
- To soften, soak in salt solution. Soaking time - 2 hours.
- Before washing, carefully study the recommendations of the manufacturers of the products indicated on the labels.
- Use ping pong balls when machine washing. The balls will prevent the towel from rolling up and keep it fluffy.
Should I use conditioner?
Using conditioner too often will cause the terry fabric to lose its hygroscopic properties.
It is better to use conditioner with silicone for towels. Its functions:
- softening of terry fabric: the towel becomes fluffy and water-absorbing;
- preventing pilling;
- creation of a dirt- and water-repellent film;
- giving towels a pleasant aroma.
Silicone is present in baby fabric softeners - for example, “Eared Nanny” with lavender or aloe vera. This product is also added for washing adult clothes, especially delicate ones. The conditioner improves the hygroscopicity of a terry towel, ensures its softness, and removes static electricity.
You can use fabric softener - it perfectly softens terry fabric. Unlike conditioner, rinse aid is used at the last stage of washing, and not during it.