Prepping your rental
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- HOSTING HOSTING
- ➤ HOUSEKEEPING HOUSEKEEPING
- Published: 08 September 2018 08 September 2018
In a rental, the quality of the towels provided for travellers is paramount. The first step is to make the right choice when purchasing, taking into account the weight, material, fibre and other criteria as seen previously. The next step is proper maintenance and care so that they retain the plushness. With repeated washing, bathroom linens can indeed get rough. But fear not! Here are a few simple and natural tips that’ll keep your towels as soft and fresh as the day you bought them…
Tip # 1: Before use
New towels are not very absorbent. To give them maximum absorption, soak them in a basin of cold water with a little coarse salt for about ten hours. Next, launder the towels twice on the warm setting and don’t use softener. Put the towels in the washing machine alone as clothing containing buttons or zippers could cause snags. If you follow these two steps, in addition to making the cloth absorbent, they will remove any traces of new product chemicals and help set the colours.
Tip # 2: The washing temperature
As you will be washing towels regularly after each guest’s departure, it is recommended to set the water temperature to 60°. It will be high enough to remove stains but is still lower than 90 °; a temperature that would damage the linens.
Tip # 3: Natural softeners
The use of commercially sold softeners is not recommended on bathroom linens. To soften your laundry naturally, simply pour two-three tablespoons of white vinegar into the washer’s tray. Contrary to popular belief, it will not cause strong odours on towels. This trick is ecological and economical, and it doubles as a cleaning agent for the machine itself, helping to remove lime scale. It is also possible to use lemon juice or baking soda (one to two tablespoons) as a softener in the same way.
Tip # 4: Drying
Drying clothes in the open air is economical, ecological and gives textiles a good smell, especially in the countryside. The disadvantage for towels is that it roughens them over time. If you have a dryer, opt to use it because it will bring flexibility, plushness and softness to the towel. The trick here is to add three tennis balls to the drum; by whisking the fibre, they will give life to the material! If you don’t have a tumble dryer, place the tennis balls in the washing machine’s drum and spin at 700 rpm rather than full power. Then let the towels air dry and once dry, manually rub them together before folding to keep them ever so soft.