• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
go to homepage

Search by
Category
  • Cleaning Blog
  • Automotive
  • Bathroom Appliances and Fixtures
  • Carpets and Rugs
  • Cats
  • Closets and Organization
  • Dogs
  • Electronics
  • Fabrics
  • Floor & Carpet
  • Floors
  • Food
  • Furniture
  • General Housecleaning
  • House
  • Household Appliances and Fixtures
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen Appliances and Fixtures
  • Kitchen and Bathroom Surfaces
  • Kitchenware
  • Metals
  • Outdoors
  • Other Pets, Animals and Pests
  • People
  • Stain Removal
  • Stuff
  • Surfaces
  • Things You Own
  • Tools and Techniques
  • Walls and Ceilings
  • Windows
  • Everything Else
  • Ask us your cleaning question

go to homepage

How To Clean Stuff.net

Search by
Category
  • Cleaning Blog
  • Automotive
  • Bathroom Appliances and Fixtures
  • Carpets and Rugs
  • Cats
  • Closets and Organization
  • Dogs
  • Electronics
  • Fabrics
  • Floor & Carpet
  • Floors
  • Food
  • Furniture
  • General Housecleaning
  • House
  • Household Appliances and Fixtures
  • Jewelry
  • Kitchen Appliances and Fixtures
  • Kitchen and Bathroom Surfaces
  • Kitchenware
  • Metals
  • Outdoors
  • Other Pets, Animals and Pests
  • People
  • Stain Removal
  • Stuff
  • Surfaces
  • Things You Own
  • Tools and Techniques
  • Walls and Ceilings
  • Windows
  • Everything Else
  • Ask us your cleaning question

Home / Cleaning Guides / Clothing & Fabrics / Shoes, Accessories and Other Stuff / How to Remove Lint from New Towels

How to Remove Lint from New Towels

towels

Table of Contents:
  1.  
  2. Steps to Remove the Lint
  3. Additional Tips and Advice

Margie asked: How do I remove lint from new towels? When I buy new towels, they have a lot of lint. I wash the towels before I use them, but there is still a lot of lint. What do I do?.

New, fluffy towels are wonderfully inviting, until you use one and end up covered in colored fuzz. The soft fibers of new towels act like a magnet to collect lint, dust and other small particles. They hold them tight. The key to removing this excess lint is to loosen it and break the static bond with the towel so that it can be removed. Though it will certainly go away over time, here are a few steps that can speed up the process.

You Will Need: 

  • Dryer sheets
  • Dryer
  • Washing machine
  • Drying rack

Steps to Remove the Lint:

There are two schools of thought when it comes to tackling the lint. The first is to use dryer sheets to break the static bond that holds the lint in place. However, some people feel that the use of dryer sheets impacts the absorbency level of the towel.

  1. If you use dryer sheets, place the dry towels into the dryer with a couple of dryer sheets.
  2. Run through a short 30 minute cycle.
  3. The dryer will shake loose much of the lint and the dryer sheets will help it to release from the surface of the towel.
  4. If you are opposed to using dryer sheets in your towels, simply washing and drying them will remove the lint as well. However, it may take a few more cycles.
  5. Wash the towels as normal.
  6. Rather than drying in the dryer, hang the towels to dry (outside is best).
  7. The wind from the breeze will help to shake loose additional lint. Beating them may help as well.
  8. Regardless of the method you choose, be prepared to repeat it several times before the lint reaches a normal level.

Additional Tips and Advice

  • Did you know that excess lint is a sign of a high quality towel? The Egyptian cotton towels require up to 10 washings and dryings before they reach a “normal” lint level.
  • New towels are coated with a special chemical that can keep them from being absorbent. To remove this coating faster, add some white vinegar to the wash cycle.
  • If nothing else is working, try using a pilling brush or upholstery brush on the towel.
  • Adding a cup of salt to the washing water will help set the color so the towels won’t fade as quickly.

Cleaning Guides, Shoes, Accessories and Other Stuff

Was This Guide Helpful?

+93
-21
Rating: 82%. From 114 votes.
Please wait...

Related Posts

  • How to Remove Lint from Velcro
  • How to Remove Rancid Massage Oil from White Towels
  • How to Remove Excessive Lint from Laundry
  • How to Remove Silicone
  • How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from Towels
  • How to Remove Leather Spew

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, conse ctetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit sed diam.


Thank you for subscribing!

Reader Interactions

About the Author

Avatar photo

Susan

I'm a stay-at-home mom who used to run a small housecleaning business. These days I consider myself more or a mad cleaning-scientist. I do most of the testing for our articles - as well as helping Mark & Melanie write them.

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Helpful comments include feedback on the recipe or changes you made.

show comments +

Comments

  1. Edmund says

    December 15, 2012 at 1:00 am

    Very useful information!

    Reply
  2. Sandra says

    June 23, 2014 at 10:13 pm

    Good advice, but I am reluctant to use my BLACK Egyptian cotton towels. After many washes, my bathroom gets a continual layer of black lint over the white vanity and tiled floor. I bought the color because I thought it would be better than white towels, especially in winter with males in the house. Drying other towels in the dryer has resulted in the wide bands at each end of the towels to shrink. Would washing the towels in a fabric softener help? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

    Reply
  3. Sharon says

    July 1, 2014 at 3:14 pm

    I have found that you have to wash each towel individually, with baking soda and white vinegar in the wash; no washing powder and no softener. I used a short wash. When the was has finished, hang them on the line. Once they are dried, put them in the tumble on the air fluff cycle for 20 minutes. This is the only way that I have found that has worked. The new towels I have just bought look fantastic, feel fantastic and do not leave lint/fluff everywhere. They are 100% cotton towels.

    Reply
    • Sally says

      November 23, 2016 at 8:01 pm

      How much baking soda and vinegar?
      Thank you.

      Reply
      • Sharon says

        April 10, 2018 at 10:01 am

        How much baking soda and vinegar?

        Reply
      • Nancy says

        November 3, 2018 at 6:25 pm

        How much baking soda and vinegar?

        Reply
        • Avatar photoMelanie says

          November 6, 2018 at 4:48 am

          Nancy,
          The recommended amounts for laundry usually are 1/2 cup baking soda for a top-load machine or 1/4 cup for a front-load machine (along with regular detergent) in the main cycle and 1/2 cup white vinegar in the rinse cycle of a regular-large size wash. Good luck!
          Source: Arm & Hammer – How to Get Laundry Extra Clean and Fresh With Baking Soda
          Source: HowStuffWorks – Uses for Baking Soda: Clothing Care
          Source: HowStuffWorks – Uses for Vinegar: Doing Laundry

          Reply
  4. JK says

    August 9, 2014 at 6:36 pm

    Thank you for the advice! As an apartment dweller who pays roughly $3/load to wash, I was less than happy, but appreciative nonetheless!

    Reply
  5. GiGi says

    September 7, 2017 at 11:20 pm

    Did you find out how much white vinegar and baking soda?

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Featured Guides

How to Clean a Hairbrush

How to Clean a Microwave Oven With ZERO Chemicals

How to Clean Every Dental Retainer

How to Clean your Macbook’s Screen

Join our mailing list.
Be the first to know about new arrivals, sales, and special events.
Thank you for subscribing!

Footer

Browse by Category

  • Automotive
  • Clothing & Fabrics
  • Floors & Carpets
  • Housecleaning
  • Kitchen & Bath
  • Outdoors
  • People & Pets
  • Household Stuff

Contact

  • Ask Us Your Cleaning Questions
  • Contact Form

Follow us on Social Media

Site Information

  • Cookie Policy
  • Guest Post Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  • XML Sitemap

Copyright © 2023 · HowToCleanStuff.net · All Rights Reserved · Website by Anchored Design