What does a Garden Gnome do when she is not gardening, in the kitchen or doing genealogy? Well the answer might just surprise you so read the entries to find out more. This blog focuses on everything we do to make our house a home. There will be a strong emphasis on home energy efficiency and do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. At the same time there will also be crafts, knitting and crocheting projects along with any other little tips we do to create that down to earth, I want to be here home. Please enjoy your visit :)




Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Keeping Towels Soft and Absorbant



A lovely, warm and fluffy towel is a treat to wrap in after a nice hot shower or warming up after swimming.  So how do you keep towels soft and fluffy?  When it comes to towels it it is important to wash any new towel in hot water with baking soda added.  This will remove any residues remaining from the manufacturing process.  Add vinegar to the rinse cycle to set dark colours, remove detergent build-up and any lingering odours.  Do not use fabric softener as this will leave a residue on the towels that will affect absorption.  Quite often amongst the frugal crowd there is the suggestion to toss a couple of new tennis balls into the dryer along with the towels.  This is not a good idea as new tennis balls will off gas resulting in residues left on your towels.  Tennis balls are not meant for use under higher heat conditions as found in dryer conditions so should not be used in a dryer.  There are specially formulated dryer balls meant for this purpose so use one of those instead.  Towels that have been air dried can be harsh, stiff or scratchy.  The work around for this is to use vinegar in the rinse then hang to dry.  When the towels are almost dry finish drying in the dryer. 


Garden Gnome
©2006-2010


0 comments: