How to Keep White Towels White & Fluffy

Do you love soft, white towels as much as I do? Here are my favourite tips on how to keep white towels white and fluffy!

Since launching our Little Lake House vacation rentals, I have learned SO much about hospitality, cleaning and laundry. I’m a huge white linens & towels fanatic, so coming up with a system that keeps all of our white laundry white is extremely important. To me, white towels and white sheets signify luxury and cleanliness. They’re the only type of linens I’ll offer my guests! If you love white towels and sheets like I do, you’ll love these tips to keep them that way.

How to keep white cotton towels white and soft

My best tip is to wash your white towels with oxygen bleach EVERY TIME. I use a scoop of Oxiclean White Revive (a non-chlorine bleach product) in every load of white towels or sheets. Follow the manufacturer directions on the product label and use Oxiclean alongside your regular detergent. Us the hottest water setting that your fabric will allow. The towel on the left has never been treated with oxygen bleach, and the towel on the right has been washed regularly with it:

I find Oxiclean and regular detergent keeps my towels white and soft, but a couple other tips are:

Wash with hot water

Hot water will help get any dirt and yellow tones out of the towels as it works alongside your detergent and oxygen bleach.

Shake the towels before putting them in the dryer

A little shake of your towel after the wash cycle and before placing it in your clothes dryer should help fluff up the fibers.

Use baking soda

If you don’t want to use oxygen bleach, try baking soda instead. Baking soda is a powerhouse that can clean just about anything! Add about a 1/2 cup alongside your regular detergent instead of the oxygen bleach. It should also help whiten your towels (and keep them smelling fresh)!

Add distilled white vinegar periodically to your wash

If you’re finding your towels getting stiff, I find that adding distilled white vinegar alongside your detergent every so often helps strip the towels and get them feeling fluffy again. Add a small amount (about 2 Tbsp) of white vinegar to your machine’s rinse cycle.

Don’t overuse fabric softener

Interestingly enough, I find that overusing fabric softener makes my towels stiff over time. Too much softener creates buildup in the towels over time. Opt for one dryer sheet or use dryer balls instead.

How to get stains out of white laundry

Vinegar method

My favourite product for removing stains from white towels and sheets in none other than simple distilled white vinegar. Keep a spray bottle of vinegar on hand, and spray any stains on white laundry as soon as you see them. Spray the item, let the vinegar sit, and then dab at the stain with a microfiber cloth. Then, wash with detergent and oxygen bleach on the hottest setting the fabric will allow. 

Hydrogen peroxide method

You can also use hydrogen peroxide for extra-stubborn stains. Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution directly on any stains by applying some to a cotton ball and dabbing it on the stain. Wash your towel as per usual after about 10 minutes

How do hotels keep laundry white?

Apparently some hotels boil and/or soak their white laundry in bleach or detergent for long periods of time, but I love using this hack for when my laundry is looking dingy:

1. Add the recommended amount of Oxiclean White Revive and laundry detergent to your laundry cycle
2. Add your laundry to the washing machine and start the cycle
3. Pause the laundry cycle about 30 minutes (or when there’s a lot of water in the drum) and let the laundry soak for at least an hour
4. Resume or restart your laundry cycle

This is a lot easier than soaking white laundry in a tub or sink, and I find that it gives me great results.

See how I keep towels white & fluffy and get more easy cleaning hacks by watching this video:

I hope these tips helped you as you enjoy and care for your white & fluffy fluffy towels! If you have any more tips on how to keep your white towels white and fluffy, I’d love to hear them in the comments below. Happy housekeeping!

Get more of my cleaning and home organization tips right here.

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