Freshly washed clothes should feel soft, but instead, they sometimes end up becoming stiff and rough. Is detergent to blame? Maybe. Is it your washing machine? Possibly.

But more often than not, the real cause is hard water in your house (and the way it reacts with soaps and detergents). In this blog, you’ll learn why your clothes feel rough, and the simple, temporary and permanent solutions which can bring back softness to your clothes.

Why Do Clothes Become Stiff and Rough After Washing?

Here’s why:

• Extra Detergent: You would think extra detergent would make your clothes cleaner. As a matter of fact, when they are drying, extra detergent sticks to your clothes and makes them stiff.

• Overloaded Washer: The clothes aren't able to move around if the washer gets overloaded. The detergent and the minerals get stuck inside the fibres and aren't washed away.

So these are the common reasons clothes lose softness. However, the biggest reason is:

• Hard water buildup: When calcium and magnesium from hard water react with detergent, they settle on fabrics and make them stiff.

How Hard Water Damages Clothes and Washing Machines

Hard water is water with a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. Though hard water won’t harm your health, it damages clothes and washing machines.

In laundry, hard water clothes washing leads to:

• Clothes feel stiff and colours fade quickly

• Detergent is not foaming properly

• Leaves mineral deposits on clothes

Look out for these signs of hard water in your washing machine:

• Limescale deposits in the detergent drawer

• Chalky buildup inside the drum

• Cloudy film on the glass door of the machine that won’t wash away
  

Notice these signs? It’s a clear indication that you’ve been washing clothes with hard water all along.

Recommended Reading:

Just like washing machines, your kettles, coffee makers, and dishwashers also suffer scale damage. Read this blog to learn more: The Impact of Tap Filters on Reducing Scale Formation in Kitchen Appliances

How to Soften Clothes Affected by Hard Water (Practical Solutions)

You can make your laundry softer with the following tips.

• Vinegar rinse: To clear out detergent residue and minerals from fabrics, use a cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle

• Baking soda: A teaspoonful of baking soda in the machine will automatically soften clothes.

Vinegar and baking soda are quick fixes; they soften clothes temporarily. But excessive use can weaken elasticity or fade colours. And they don’t stop the minerals from damaging your washing machine. For lasting protection, you need a solution at the machine level: a washing machine hard water filter.

Recommended Reading:

If hard water makes your clothes stiff, imagine what it does to your hair. Here’s how to protect it: Tips on Preventing Hair Damage Due to Hard Water

Washing Machine Filter: The Long-Term Hard Water Solution

The best long-term solution is using a filter for washing machine. It blocks hard water minerals before they reach your clothes and machine, and as a result, your fabrics and appliances stay protected.

Different filters use different methods, but most good filters rely on two key stages.

• Stainless Steel Mesh (Stage 1): 

Stainless Steel (SS) Mesh: It's designed to physically block larger particles and impurities like dirt and sand from entering your washing machine. So, the benefit is clear: your washing machine is protected from damage and costly repairs.

• Anti-Scaling Silicon Phosphate Balls:

These anti-scaling balls remove hard water minerals or any carbonates from the water. As a result, they prevent limescale (a chalky buildup) that can damage your machine’s coil.

This is how our Riversoft DIY-friendly washing machine filter is designed, too. It combines both stages, so your washing machine and laundry stay protected.

Check out our washing machine filters

Conclusion: Hard Water, Laundry, and Washing Machine Filters

Remember how we started - clothes should feel clean and soft after every wash, but sometimes they turn out stiff and rough? Now you know the answer: it’s not just your detergent or your washing machine, but washing clothes with hard water. That’s why temporary solutions like vinegar or baking soda only help for a short time. The long-term solution is to stop hard water minerals from reaching your laundry. And the best way of doing it? Use a washing machine filter.