Mom shares shocking hack for amazing-smelling towels: 'It took me a little while to get on board'

If you've ever had the distinctly unpleasant experience of your towels coming out of the washing machine smelling a little weird, it turns out there's a simple tip that can eliminate that problem — and most people have likely never heard about it before.

The scoop

The trick is to mix a cup of vodka — the cheaper, the better — in with your laundry detergent.

"I'm not going to lie, it took me a little while to get on board with this laundry tip," content creator Natasha Twisselman (@twisselmantradingco) shared in a video with her followers. "But after some research and trying it a few times, I am a BELIEVER!"

@twisselmantradingco I'm not going to lie, it took me a little while to get on board with this laundry tip. But after some research and trying it a few times, I am a BELIEVER! Apparently, alcohol is a natural fabric softener and odor remover, and this applies to laundry as well. The alcohol compound is able to bind to grease and oil deposits on your clothes/fabrics and pull them out of the fibers, and it can also kill odor-causing bacteria. Vodka is a simple choice because it is high in alcohol content and it is odorless and colorless. Since adding cheap vodka to my laundry routine, my items, especially the tricky pieces like towels and my husband's work clothes, have come out smelling fresh and odorless each and every time! It's been impressive! Am I late to the game in this trick? Do you already do this? Let me know in the comments if you're already doing this or if you're going to give it a try! 😍😁 #worksmarter #workfromhometips #workfromhomelife #choresdone #spendlesstimecleaning #stayathomemomma #makethemostoflife #cleanhome #hardworkers #househacks #laundryhacks #MentalLoad #Supermom #ShareTheLoad #WorkFromHomeMom #homehackideas ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

How it's helping

Believe it or not, using vodka to clean your clothes is recommended by many other experts as well. An article in House Digest titled "Why You Should Be Using Vodka To Clean Your Clothing" explains that "this laundry hack originated from Broadway because actors would sweat constantly, and since they didn't have time to have their costumes dry cleaned, they'd simply just spray them with vodka to remove any odors, and their clothing would smell good as new."

Patric Richardson, host of the HGTV show The Laundry Guy, has also recommended it. "You need to have vodka in your bar — and your laundry room," he said in the trailer for his show.

Using vodka also cuts down on your need for commercial fabric softeners, which contain chemicals that don't break down over time and are harmful to the environment. Many fabric softeners are petroleum-based and can be harmful to marine life when they eventually find their way into water sources.

What everyone's saying

Natasha's commenters added their own spin to the tip. 

"White wine vinegar [is] cheaper and does the thing," one commenter wrote.

"This may give closet-drinker vibes," another joked.

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