An Unlikely Kitchen Ingredient May Just Be The Secret To Softer Sheets

The more people that live in your household, the greater the cost to purchase sheets and other bedding, and multiple sets can add up pretty fast even for one person. Of course, you want your sheets to last as long as possible, and two things to look for are quality construction and thread count (typically, the higher the better). The way you take care of your sheets also impacts their longevity and how they feel to the touch. A wonderful way to keep them conditioned and feeling softer than usual is to use rice water in the wash and rinse cycles, an unlikely yet naturally-effective kitchen ingredient.

Fabric softener can affect your linens in a negative way, leaving behind a coating that obstructs how air flows through the textiles and their ability to get fully clean. Further, fabric softeners also potentially negatively affect our health because of the sheer number of chemicals and fragrances they contain. These can cause dermatitis, respiratory problems, and allergies. Aside from being chemical-free, rice water is incredibly gentle on the environment. Additionally, you probably already have some rice in your pantry, making this an easy and cost-effective hack to execute.

To create this faux-softener, first find some white rice. This type of rice has the most starch, so it's preferred over brown or basmati rice. You'll need clean water, a pot, another container, and a strainer. Rinsing your rice before cooking is a good practice to remove excess starch. However, for our purposes, the starch is the magic softening ingredient, so skip this step. Mix 1 cup of rice with 1 cup of water until the water turns white. Hold a strainer over another pot and pour the whole concoction through. An alternative is to cook the rice with plenty of water. Once it's cooked, strain out the liquid. However, the rinsing method will get you a more reliable yield of rice water. 

Then, combine the 1 cup of rice water with 2 cups of clean water to dilute the mixture. Keep that solution in a sealed jar in the laundry room, and when you're ready to wash the sheets for the first time with rice water, pour half a cup straight into the washing machine. In the slot for fabric conditioner, skip the conventional stuff and also pour in 1 cup of rice water instead. Then, during the following sheet washes, add 2 tablespoons of the liquid to the rinse cycle. One of the foods you can use to clean certain areas of your house, rice water is an effective ingredient to use on your sheets.