I revived my stiff and scratchy towels in a single wash using a 59p buy – and no, it’s not vinegar

STIFF and scratchy towels is something we all battle to avoid - especially when we're not using the tumble dryer.

Most materials are easy to wash - but towels are another story - especially when you want to keep them soft and fluffy.

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Thankfully, a cleaning whizz has shared a hack to get them back to their best condition in just a single wash.

There's a couple of reasons as to why towels can become stiff and scratchy after washing them.

The first is using too much detergent.

Using too much makes it difficult for it all to rinse out in the wash cycle.

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This can then leave a residue on your towels that can make them stiff and scratchy. 

Another cause is not washing them frequently enough.

Towels are designed to absorb water and they will do just that, even if it’s from the air around them.

The towels have definitely come out softer and fluffier

Jenny Fuller

But one cleaning whizz has shared how she strips her towels to make them soft again.

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Jenny Fuller took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page to share her method and it's perfect for those who hate hte smell of vinegar.

She said: “So, I finally got around to stripping my towels. It’s a mixture of one-quarter cup of borax and one-quarter cup of baking soda in hot water and leaving the clean towels in for a few hours to remove the residue build-up. 

“My towels are always so stiff and scratchy even though I’ve not used fabric conditioner on them for a couple of years, and now use vinegar for every towel wash.”

Sharing a picture of the dirty water left behind from the clean towels, Jenny said: “Anyway, this is the colour of the water when I took the towels out. Again, these were white, clean towels when they went in.

“The towels have definitely come out softer and fluffier. I’m planning to strip them once a month from now to try to keep them soft.”

Adding baking soda to your towel wash helps remove soap and chemical residue that can end up covering your towels.

Baking soda can be picked up for as little as 59p from Sainsbury's.

Borax is banned in the UK, but substitutes can be purchased such as Dri-Pak Borax Substitute for £2.69 at Robert Dyas.

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Borax substitute has similar properties and a similar pH level to borax, which is why it makes for a good substitute. 

It’s commonly used in cleaning because it is gentler than washing powder yet stronger than baking soda when it comes to removing stains.