Stop adding baking soda to washing machines – laundry can be softer | UK | News

There is nothing more frustrating than doing a load of laundry and finding that your clothes, although clean, have become crispy and stiff after washing.

That awful, hard, crunchy texture is usually the result of using too much laundry detergent in your machine, especially if you live in an area with hard water. Large amounts of detergent can make it difficult for the machine to rinse the detergent completely, leaving a residue on your clothes that hardens the fabric. Air drying can also be a culprit for rough, itchy laundry; because the lack of heat from the tumble dryer means the fabric fibers don’t relax, causing your laundry to dry to a hard, stiff state.

Baking soda is a useful tool in combating this problem, as it neutralizes the pH of the water in the machine, helping to remove laundry detergent and mineral residue that can toughen clothes. But this has its drawbacks, and laundry experts say one ingredient actually works better; that is white vinegar.

Vinegar is naturally acidic, so it helps dissolve excess soap residue from detergent that can build up on clothes, making them harden; It is also a much cheaper alternative to commercial fabric softeners.

In its online advice for using white vinegar in the laundry, cleaning products brand Vileda said: “White vinegar is a household staple and its magic extends to your laundry room. This natural, affordable ingredient can be a simple but powerful tool to soften clothes, remove stains and odors, and revitalize colours.”

“It’s a great alternative to harsher chemical solutions. It’s incredibly easy to use white vinegar on laundry. Here are a few ways:

• Softener: Instead of commercial softeners, pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the softener compartment of your washing machine. It will make your clothes feel soft and reduce static electricity.

• Odor eliminator: If you’re struggling with stubborn odors in towels or gym clothes, adding a cup of white vinegar to your detergent during the wash cycle can work wonders.”

So why is this better than using baking soda? According to laundry detergent brand Tide, baking soda’s high pH level can be damaging to certain types of fabrics, such as wool, silk and cashmere, and can contribute to fading colors.

It can also affect the performance of some laundry detergents, which could mean your clothes come out of the wash with stains.

It can also cause residue to build up on your clothes when used too much, causing your clothes to harden and harden, especially when used in the rinse cycle.

In its online guide to washing clothes with vinegar and baking soda, Tide said: “The high pH of baking soda can damage natural, protein-based fibers such as wool, cashmere and silk and fade colors over time.

“Adding baking soda to your laundry detergent can reduce your laundry detergent’s ability to clean low-pH-sensitive stains such as coffee, tea, wine, and other stains. Some dyes in colored fabrics are pH-sensitive, so exposure to high-pH baking soda can cause their colors to fade.

“Avoid using baking soda in the rinse because it can react on fabrics, making them stiff and stiff. Using baking soda in hard water conditions can cause fiber breakage in some fibers, such as nylon and elastane.”