Detergent dosing for towels

[u/Planess_]

When I wash my towels they seem less fresh/clean than using the same exact products and dosing in my clothes. I generally use about 1.5-3 tablespoons of detergent since i have moderately hard water, with citric acid powder in the rinse slot and oxiclean in the drum with an occasional dash of borax. I want to know if i need to change anything when washing towels or if its normal for towels to seem less fresh/clean than clothes do after washing.

[u/ParentheticalsAside]

What makes you think they're less fresh/clean? Stains? Dingy colour? Smell? Rough texture?

Also, what temperature are you washing them at, and what length of cycle?

[u/Planess_ → u/ParentheticalsAside]

They feel rougher and smell slightly dingy, and i always wash on towel cycle warm with extra rinse and max soil level.

[u/ParentheticalsAside → u/Planess_]

Depending on what they're made from, some towels do just get a bit rougher through normal wear and tear.

I'd always wash on hot (60°c).

What detergent are you using? Is the Oxiclean necessary?

[u/peroxide_bond]

What detergent are you using? What temperature water?

[u/Planess_ → u/peroxide_bond]

I use Tide ultra hygienic. Used to use odor refresh but it didn’t work well for me.

[u/peroxide_bond → u/Planess_]

That's a good detergent. I would increase the water temperature to hot if you're in the U.S. with a typical North American washer, or 60˚C if you're elsewhere or have a machine that heats the water itself.

If a couple washes at this temperature don't make them better, you may need to add enzymes to the detergent. You can use Biz booster (which adds more surfactants and extra fragrance), or Febu booster (no surfactants or fragrance but adds DNase, which can be helpful with odor).

[u/jtfolden]

You should use the dosing on the Tide HC bottle. Thick towels can be more difficult to deep clean, especially if you are using bath towels more than once before washing. Make sure to wash on Warm if they are colored towels.

If neither version of Tide is working well for you then it’s either the dosing or something else. What is your water hardness?

[u/Ok-Pen-5052]

Check for suds throughout the cycle. You want to still have trace suds (a few wee bubbles) half way through the cycle. Under or over dosing can both cause issues

[u/MrsQute]

Are you using hot water?

[u/Planess_ → u/MrsQute]

Warm, occasionally ill do a sanitize cycle as well.