As difficult as it may seem to remove stains from tea towels, there are foolproof tricks to make them as good as new, odor-free and bacteria-free… Take a look at them!
Just like dish towels and scouring pads, paper towels are great places for germs and bacteria to grow. This is mainly because these towels retain moisture and air and contain food residue. To prevent them from becoming a breeding ground for microorganisms, it is necessary to follow a cleaning routine as for any clothing and thus prevent the appearance of grease or dirt stains.
If your dishcloths are white and too dirty, the best thing to do is to soak them in water with cornstarch and a little bleach and let them sit overnight. Then add two tablespoons of baking soda, washing powder or liquid detergent and 1/4 cup of white vinegar to the mixture, and soak the cloths again for 15 minutes. The white will come back.
However, if the cloths you use in the kitchen are stained and you are concerned that they will wear out over the course of several washes, there are a variety of products, both economical and environmentally friendly, that can be used to make the cloths clean and free of grease and bacteria. These products are ammonia and white vinegar for cleaning.
Ammonia and white vinegar
Ammonia is mainly used to remove stubborn grease stains and make them look like new. Fill a large basin with 5 liters of hot water and add two caps of liquid ammonia. Put the rags in and let them soak for 30 to 60 minutes. The ammonia softens the grease stains and removes them. Use gloves to remove the rags and put them in the washing machine with a short program of hot water at 60ºC and a neutral detergent.
Vinegar, on the other hand, is one of the most used natural cleaners at home and is even more effective than any supermarket detergent. To clean the rags, we proceed in the same way as with ammonia, that is, we fill a bowl with 5 liters of water, hot this time, and we add 3 cups of white vinegar and natural lemon juice. Let them soak for a few hours. For a more satisfactory result, it is better to finish the washing with hot water and a long washing cycle.
Paper towels are a good place for germs and bacteria to grow.
Finally, there is also a trick to eliminate bad odors that remain impregnated in these textiles. Put a cup of white vinegar and three tablespoons of baking soda in a basin filled with water. Mix well, put the rags in and leave for 30 minutes. After this time, scrub the rags and leave them in the bucket with the mixed product for another 5 minutes, then let them dry in the sun.