7 Tips to Keep Towels Soft and Smelling Fresh

Follow these tips to keep your towels soft and fluffy for years to come - and we'll give you tips for buying, drying and folding towels like a pro.

Washing towels seems simple, but the right method is crucial if you want them to last. While you can just throw a towel in the washing machine, these helpful tips will keep your towels looking and feeling fresh even after several washes. With proper washing and drying methods, you can avoid musty odors and faded colors and maintain the soft, fluffy texture of your towels. For the best washing tips, check out this handy guide on how often you should wash your towels, whether you can wash towels with clothes, and what settings to use when washing towels with different colors and fabrics.

1. Wash new towels before use

Before you learn how to wash towels, you should note that you should clean them before using them for the first time. Most new towels are coated with silicone or other coatings that limit absorbency. This coating gives the towels an extra fluffy look and feel in the store. Washing your new towels will remove these coatings and give them maximum absorbency.

2. Washing towels with vinegar

To prevent colors from bleeding, wash colored towels with similar shades in warm water for the first few washes. When washing, use about half the recommended amount of detergent and add ½ to 1 cup of white vinegar to the water during the rinse cycle. The vinegar helps to strengthen the colors and removes excess detergent residue.

3. How often you should wash towels

You no longer have to guess how often you should wash your towels - the answer is every three to four days. Colored towels are best washed with warm water and color-safe bleach, if needed. For white towels, use hot water and non-chlorine bleach if needed. White towels should be washed separately or with other white garments to prevent them from discoloring easily over time.

4. Can you wash towels with clothes?

If you wash towels together with clothes, germs and bacteria can be transferred between the pieces of laundry. For hygienic reasons, you should always wash bath towels separately from your clothes. If you wash towels in their own load, it's also easier to change the setting depending on the color. It's also easier to dry towels in the same load because damp towels dry more slowly than most clothes.

5. To use fabric softener for towels

Use fabric softener as directed, but add it only every three or four washes. Waxy buildup from fabric softeners can damage the fibers of towels over time and reduce their absorbency. No one wants a towel that isn't fluffy. So be careful when using fabric softener on towels.

6. Shake up towels before drying them

Fluff up your towels when you take them out of the washing machine. This loosens up the terry loops, which increases absorbency. Don't iron terry towels, as this will reduce absorbency. Also, when you fluff your towels, you prevent them from curling up into a ball in the dryer, which increases drying time.

7. How to dry towels

Make sure your towels are dry when you take them out of the dryer because clothes dry faster than towels. Even slightly damp towels can mold quickly. The best dryer setting for towels is the normal or automatic setting that you use for other durable fabrics. This uses the highest heat and gets the job done most efficiently.