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Cleaning your towels on a hot wash is enough to make them look clean, but there’s still plenty of hidden dirt which can remain in the soft fibres. Laundry stripping is the best way to remove deep-rooted dirt, grime and other nasties that your washing machine may miss, but exactly how can you do it using just baking soda and water? This is how to strip your towels for clean, soft results.

Laundry stripping is a deep soaking method which slowly drains built-up residue and dirt out of everything from your clothes to your towels.

Detergent, oil, hard water, and other substances can all contribute to the hidden grime lurking in these items, which is why washing them in your machine alone simply isn’t enough for a thorough clean.

Stripping your towels will leave them both cleaner and even softer than before by restoring the fluffy fibres, and all you need is three simple ingredients.

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While some popular laundry stripping tutorials use borax, baking soda and white vinegar offer a non-chemical alternative with equally impressive results.

There is absolutely no need for detergent when stripping your bath towels. In fact - all you need is baking soda, distilled white vinegar, and a clean bathtub full of hot water.

Start by filling your bath with hot water and add one cup of vinegar.

Fill the tub with your ‘clean’ towels, keeping lights, colours, and darks separated to avoid running colours.

Leave the towels to soak for up to four hours, allowing the water to turn a murky shade of grey or even black for darker loads of washing.

When the water stops changing colour, you’ll know it’s time to move onto the next step of your laundry stripping.

Once your towels have been soaked in the white vinegar solution for at least three hours, drain the water and repeat the process using three quarters of a cup of baking soda instead of the single cup of white vinegar.

Soak for another three to four hours and drain the water once it has stopped darkening in colour.

The vinegar and baking soda ‘strip’ the old soap and fabric softener residue from your towels while leaving the fibres fresh and soft.

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The towels will be soaking wet after the stripping process, so it is important that you take the time to dry them properly in order to avoid any unpleasant, musty smells.

Depending on whether you have access to a tumble dryer or washing line, there are several ways to get your stripped towels completely dry to reveal the fresh, fluffy fabric.

This is a good way to remove the excess water from the towels before using heat to dry them.

Simply throw the wet towels into an empty machine and set them on a drain and spin cycle - (this usually takes around 10-15 minutes).

Once your towels are drained, use a drying rack or washing line to lay the towels flat and leave to dry off completely.

Ring out as much water as possible either by hand, or using a spin cycle before leaving your towels to air-dry outside.

This will only work on a warm, sunny day, and you will need to get it done early to give the towels plenty of time to dry off.

Air-drying takes longer, but it will give the added benefits of a soft, crisp towel and that fresh-air scent once they’re ready to bring inside.

This is the quickest way to dry off your towels, but it is crucial that you remove as much excess water as possible before throwing them into the dryer.

Use a hot cycle to soften up the damp towels and remove as soon as possible once they’re dry.

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