Towels are essential for personal hygiene, yet you'll inevitably notice that after prolonged use, they become stiff, greasy, sticky, and emit an unpleasant odor.
Some believe rinsing and wringing out towels with plain water suffices when they exhibit these issues. However, this cleaning method often makes towels increasingly disgusting.
Why do daily-use towels become so unpleasant?
1. Causes of yellowing and odor in towels
(1) When towels wipe sweat and oil from skin without regular thorough washing, they accumulate grease and grime. Over time, they feel sticky, turn yellow when dry, or develop unpleasant odors.
(2) If your bathroom lacks ventilation and towels aren't thoroughly wrung out after each use, moisture accumulates at the bottom. This causes mold to grow along the lower edge, leading to unpleasant odors and yellowing.
2. Why Towels Become Stiff
(1) Prolonged use causes fibers to shed. Once only the core fibers remain, the towel stiffens.
(2) Incomplete cleaning leaves skin residue trapped within the fibers.
(3) After washing, tangled loops aren't shaken out before sun-drying.
(4) Free calcium and magnesium ions in water combine with soap, forming deposits that significantly contribute to hardening.
3. Use separate towels for washing your face
It's best to designate a towel exclusively for washing your face. Avoid using it to wipe sweat or your body; reserve it solely for drying your face after washing. When using a towel to wipe your body, secretions, bacteria, dirt, and oils can easily adhere to the towel.
Whether for the face or body, towels should be thoroughly washed weekly to prevent skin irritation from accumulated bacteria.
How to clean towels?
1. High-temperature sterilization is most effective
When washing towels, boil them in water for 10 minutes before washing with detergent. After washing, air-dry them in a well-ventilated area.If boiling seems troublesome, you can microwave the towel for 5 minutes after washing to achieve the same high-temperature sterilization effect.
2. Add salt or alkaline detergent during washing
Add alkaline detergent to the water or scrub with salt. Rinse thoroughly with clean water afterward to improve yellowing or unpleasant odors.
3. Use vinegar and baking soda to eliminate odors
To remove odors, add two tablespoons of white vinegar and an appropriate amount of hot water to the washing machine. Avoid using laundry detergent during this process.
4. Rinse thoroughly with clean water
After washing, rinse the towel thoroughly with clean water to remove any residue.
3. Use vinegar and baking soda to eliminate odors
To remove unpleasant smells from towels, add two tablespoons of white vinegar and an appropriate amount of hot water to the washing machine. Do not add detergent, fabric softener, or other cleaning agents at this stage. Start the wash cycle directly. After the cycle completes, add a small amount of laundry soap or baking soda and run another wash cycle. This will eliminate most odors and stickiness.
However, be sure to check if the washing machine itself has an odor before proceeding. If the machine smells, first clean it with hot water and 2 cups of bleach. Otherwise, your efforts will be wasted!
Once the washing machine is turned off, its damp, sealed environment creates ideal conditions for mold growth. Therefore, immediately remove towels after the cycle ends to prevent microorganisms clinging to the fibers from proliferating. Before drying, vigorously shake the towels 20 times to remove excess moisture before sun-drying!
Precautions for Using Towels
1.After using a towel, dry it thoroughly to prevent mold growth, especially for bath towels.
2. If your bathroom has a window, open it during the day and pull back the curtains to ventilate and let sunlight in. This prevents towels from developing mold even when hung to dry. Additionally, avoid drying towels in the shade; direct sunlight kills bacteria and prevents odors.
How often should towels be replaced?
Many people typically use towels until they become worn and discolored before replacing them; this is actually incorrect.
As fibrous textiles, towels accumulate bacteria deep within their fibers over time, making thorough removal difficult. Washing, air-drying, or high-temperature boiling only temporarily controls bacterial counts and cannot permanently eliminate them.Continuing to use old towels creates opportunities for bacterial invasion. Therefore, it's advisable to have two to three towels on rotation. Replace each towel with a new one approximately every three months. Additionally, boil towels in hot water once a week to ensure they remain clean and free of mold spots.