Neither is better for every load. If your towels smell musty, baking soda is the more useful choice for the wash cycle. If they feel stiff or seem to hold onto detergent residue, a small amount of white vinegar in the rinse cycle may help. For everyday cleaning, though, we recommend starting with your regular laundry detergent and using either additive only when you have a specific problem to solve.
Use baking soda when towels have lingering odors after a normal wash. Add about 1/2 cup directly to the washer drum with the towels, then wash with detergent according to the towel’s care label. Baking soda can help with odors, but it does not replace detergent, which removes the oils and soil towels pick up during use.
Give towels room to move in the washer. An overloaded machine can leave them poorly rinsed, no matter which additive you choose. Dry them promptly after the cycle ends so dampness does not bring the smell back.
Choose plain white vinegar if your towels feel coated or less absorbent, especially if you have been using fabric softener. If your washer’s instructions allow vinegar, add about 1/2 cup to the fabric-softener dispenser so it enters during the rinse cycle. Do not pour it directly onto towels, and do not use it in every load; frequent acid exposure may be hard on some washer components.
Never combine vinegar with chlorine bleach. If you are using a bleach product, follow its label and skip the vinegar entirely.
Dish towels often collect food residue and cooking oils, so detergent and a thorough wash matter more than either additive. Wash them separately from heavily soiled cleaning cloths, use the warmest water permitted by their care label, and dry them completely before storing them. Skip fabric softener, which can reduce absorbency.
For more on choosing and caring for textured kitchen towels, visit our guide to waffle-weave dish towels for home. Our team’s simple rule is to treat the problem you actually notice: baking soda for odor, vinegar for residue, and detergent for the routine wash.
We recommend using them in separate loads or cycles rather than adding them together. They react with each other, so using both at once is less useful than choosing the one that addresses your towels’ odor or residue problem.
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