How to have soft laundry without fabric softener: 6 gentle tips

Who wouldn't want to have laundry as soft as a puff? But when you're trying to make your laundry healthier and more sustainable, you have to cut out a lot of conventional solutions. Fabric softener? Many people are bothered by its ingredients, its smell or its effect on the absorbency of towels. Luckily, there are other ways to do it. Here are 6 proven tips for softer laundry - gently, effectively and without unnecessary chemicals.

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1. Avoid fabric dyes that coat the textile fibres

Many people believe that fabric softener softens. The truth is that it only coats the laundry with a film that reduces its absorbency, especially for towels. If you feel like your laundry isn't soft, look for the real causes - like hard water or unnecessarily aggressive detergent.

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2. Try EcoHaus Washing Papers

Our papers contain only 6 active ingredients that wash your laundry thoroughly yet gently. They contain no unnecessary fillers, are not weighed down by water and yet, thanks to their unique structure, do not damage the fibres. This is what makes laundry softer - without chemical residues and without the need to add additional products.

"My laundry's pretty soft from the papers, so I don't need vinegar or fabric softener."

- Lucie Orságová, EcoHaus customer

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3. Use baking soda or white vinegar when washing

Baking soda softens the water and helps dissolve detergent residues that could weigh down and harden the laundry. White vinegar acts as a natural softener - just pour it into the compartment instead of the fabric softener. And don't worry, you won't smell of vinegar!

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4. Washing with lower detergent dosage

Too much detergent can build up in the fabric, especially if you wash in harder water. EcoHaus papers have an advantage - one paper contains only active ingredients, no extra water. You can even halve it if you wash smaller amounts.

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5. Air dry, not tumble dry

While a tumble dryer saves time, over-dried clothes can be as hard as cardboard. If you use a dryer, try wool ballsthat fluff up your laundry beautifully and reduce drying time. Or let the laundry dry naturally, and just run it through the steamer briefly at the end.

6. Clean the washing machine regularly

Deposits from detergents, limescale or mould inside the washing machine get back on the laundry. This makes the laundry heavy, hard and can even smell. Treat your washing machine to a baking soda and vinegar cycle at least once a month.