Make New Towels More Absorbent

Have you ever noticed that new towels seem to repel water, rather than absorb it?

Usually, it takes many trips through the washing machine for a towel to get more absorbent, but these tips will help speed up the process.

Steps

 * 1) Wash the towel in hot water before using it. Some people run their towels through twice (without drying). This will remove extra dye and any coatings (e.g. fabric softener) left from the manufacturing process. Don't wash anything else with them because colored towels might bleed.
 * 2) Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. Dilute it first or wait until the water level is high enough to dilute it instantly, or else it might discolor your towels. The second wash cycle can include 1/2 cup of baking soda, but don't use baking soda and vinegar in the same rinse.
 * 3) *Note that these are time-proven folk remedies. When the vinegar (an acid) or the baking soda (an alkaline or base) dissociate (chemically come apart) the atoms are free to recombine with the minerals, salts and other chemicals that have accumulated in forms that more readily rinse away.
 * 4) Avoid using fabric softener of any kind. Fabric softeners coat the surface of fabric with a thin layer of chemicals that makes the fibers hydrophobic. If you can't stand how towels feel without fabric softener, use amido amine softeners if available.

Tips

 * You can hang towels outside on a clothesline to help them smell fresh and be more absorbent. They will also hold their fold better. Line drying is also greener and cheaper. However, line dried towels may be rougher than those dried in a dryer. You can soften them after line drying by tumbling them in a dryer for 3-5 minutes.
 * Put two rubber dryer balls (old tennis balls work too – just make sure they're clean!) in the machine with the towels when drying them.  This will help to fluff up the towels and they will then be more absorbent.
 * This is a relatively slow process. It can take a couple months or more of washings for any fabric softener layers to completely break down and bring the towel to its full absorbing potential.
 * Baking soda will get your towels cleaner and whiter; vinegar will get rid of smells and stains. Both are great for washing cloth diapers.
 * White vinegar is a GREAT fabric softner. Works for the static of most fabrics and help make towels softer.

Warnings

 * Don't use vinegar and baking soda in the same rinse!