The Pinterest-Approved Laundry Tip That Keeps White Towels Bright And Fluffy

Having white towels in your bathroom is an easy way to lean into a hotel vibe. But as nice as they look, white towels quickly start to look dirty if used often. Over time, discoloration from the sweat and oil from your hair and skin sets in, not to mention that issues like washing your towels in hard water can also cause pesky stains and yellowing. Buying new towels can be expensive and unnecessary, but no one wants theirs to look like they have seen better days. Luckily, there is a way to restore your white towels to their former glory, and it only requires water and white vinegar.

As this Pinterest post from Creative Homemaking points out, vinegar is a very useful tool to have in your laundry and cleaning arsenal for various reasons. In this instance, it will get your towels looking fresh and new once more. The vinegar hack is super easy to carry out, and, as you only need two ingredients you likely already have to hand, you can try it straight away.

To ensure your towels stay fresh, white, and fluffy, try the following steps. Firstly, fill up a large tub or bowl with hot water. The bowl should be big enough to fit your towels without crowding — a clean kitchen sink is also ideal. Pour in one cup of vinegar and swish the water around to make sure the vinegar is properly dispensed. Next, add your towels to the vinegar-water, spacing them as evenly as possible for best results. 

Leave the towels to bask in the water and vinegar mixture for around half an hour, perhaps a little longer if they are showing signs of yellowing or have stains. After half an hour or so, drain the vinegar-water and remove the towels, squeezing out as much excess liquid as you can. Now all that's left to do is put the towels on a regular wash cycle. They should come out bright white and stain-free. Drying your towels will make them fluffier, though check the care label as not all materials do well in high-heat settings. 

As well as using vinegar to pre-soak your towels prior to washing, you can also add it to the washer itself. This is a super simple process. All you need to do is mix half a cup of vinegar with half of the usual amount of detergent you use. Put this mix where you put your detergent. This will help soften your towels as they're being washed and remove stains. However, for best results, we recommend using the pre-soak method detailed above. 

Vinegar is effective at keeping your white towels bright and sumptuously soft because it helps keep the towel fibres loose, which in turn makes the towels feel fluffy. The staple pantry ingredient is not only a good household cleaner but also a great stain remover, hence why your towels will not only appear perfectly white but free of pesky marks and stains, too. Now you know how to incorporate vinegar into your towel laundry routine, you can reuse your white towels for years on end instead of throwing them away when they start to look past their best.