There’s nothing more frustrating than doing a load of laundry only to find that your now freshly cleaned clothes have turned crispy and hard.
That horrible stiff, crispy texture after washing is usually the result of overdoing it on the laundry detergent for each wash, particularly if you live in an area with hard water. The sheer amount of detergent can make it difficult for washing machines to fully rinse away, which ends up leaving a soapy residue on your clothes that stiffens the fabric. Air drying can also be a culprit for giving your clothes a hard and scratchy texture as the lack of heat from a tumble dryer means the fabric fibres aren’t loosened, causing your laundry to dry in a stiff, rigid state instead.
Baking soda is a simple ingredient that can help combat this problem by neutralising the pH of the water in the machine, helping remove laundry detergent and mineral residue that can make clothes feel rough. But it’s not without its drawbacks, and laundry experts say one ingredient actually works better – and that’s white vinegar.
Vinegar is naturally acidic so it helps to dissolve excess soap residue from detergent that can build up on clothes, making them feel stiff – plus it’s a much cheaper alternative to commercial fabric softeners.
In its online guidance explaining the best uses for white vinegar in laundry, cleaning products manufacturer Vileda says: “White vinegar is a household staple and its magic extends to your laundry room. This natural, affordable ingredient can be a simple yet powerful tool for softening clothes, removing stains and odours, and brightening colours.
“It’s a fantastic alternative to harsher chemical solutions. It’s incredibly easy to use white vinegar in laundry. Here are a couple of ways:
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Fabric softener: Instead of commercial fabric softeners, pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine. It will leave your clothes feeling soft and reduce static.
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Odour remover: If you’re battling stubborn odours in towels or gym clothes, adding a cup of white vinegar with your detergent during the wash cycle can work wonders.”
But why is this better than using baking soda? Well according to laundry detergent manufacturer Tide, the high pH level of baking soda can be damaging for certain types of fabric, such as wool, silk and cashmere, and can contribute to colour fading.
It can also interfere with the performance of some laundry detergents meaning your clothes may come out of the wash with stains still in place. Plus, if used too much it can also result in residue build up on your clothes, making them hard and stiff, particularly if used in the rinse cycle.
Explaining the drawbacks of adding baking soda to your laundry, Tide says in its online advice: “Baking soda’s high pH can damage natural, protein-based fibers like wool, cashmere, and silk and can fade colours over time.
“Adding baking soda along with your laundry detergent can decrease your laundry detergent’s ability to clean away low-pH sensitive stains like coffee, tea, wine, and other stains. Some dyes in coloured fabrics are pH sensitive, so exposure to high pH of baking soda could fade their colour.
“Avoid using baking soda in the rinse as it can cause a reaction on fabric making them rough and stiff. Using baking soda under hard water conditions could lead to fibre breakage on some fibers like nylon and elastane.”