White vinegar has become a household favourite for laundry, particularly for refreshing towels, with cleaning sensation Mrs Hinch’s fans swearing by it.

The method, which involves adding distilled white vinegar to towels during washes to combat musty odours and stiff towels, has been praised by Brenna Ryan, a cleaning expert at Victorian Plumbing.

Brenna shared her endorsement of the tactic: “We love this hack from Mrs Hinch fans, who are adding white vinegar into the washing machine when washing towels.”

Highlighting the efficiency of the hack, she explained: “This is a quick and easy way to stop any musty smells appearing in your bathroom.”

To implement the trick, the cleaner advised: “To try the hack yourself, simply add half a cup of white wine vinegar into the drum of your washing machine. This helps to loosen up the towel’s fibres and remove any dirt and bacteria trapped in them.”

One crucial tip Brenna stresses is the importance of water temperature when using white vinegar on towels, ensuring they emerge from the wash perfectly soft and fluffy.

She advised: “One must-do step I would recommend when doing this is to increase the heat of your wash, though washing clothes can often be done on colder washes when washing towels increasing the heat to 40 to 60 degrees can help to ensure they are fully clean, soft and free of the bacteria which causes this musty smell.”

Even if there’s still a hint of vinegar aroma after washing, the expert reassured that it will disappear once the towels are dry.

White vinegar can be used to clean towels with a soak and hand wash. It is naturally anti-bacterial and acidic meaning it will remove sweat, oils, other stains and also residue from shower gels and shampoo.

Fill a sink, bucket or bath with enough warm water to cover your towels and add one cup of white vinegar for every bucket of water used.

Simply soak your towels for 30 minutes in the solution and then rub them between your hands to remove any marks or stains and ensure the liquid has fully penetrated the fabric. After 30 minutes, rinse, squeeze, shake and hang out to dry.

Aside from white vinegar, Brenna suggested that households can add bicarbonate of soda into their wash to help give towels a helping hand, increasing freshness and eliminating odours.

Similar to vinegar, baking soda is used in several alternative cleaning methods. Add half a cup of baking soda to your wash and it will react with any softener residue and dissolve it.

In addition, it eliminates certain odours accrued from dampness. Using baking soda may be a better option than vinegar for those worried about odours and contamination, as it is a more neutral substance that will not linger in any noticeable way.