For clothes that have gone stiff from salt stains (like winter boots or sweaty gym gear), a salt soak sounds counterintuitive, but it works. Dissolve a half cup of table salt in a basin of warm water and soak the stiff item for 15 minutes. The salt draws out the moisture that’s crystallized inside the fibers.
Rinse thoroughly and wash as usual. This is also a killer way to bring life back to old linen tablecloths or jeans that have become rigid from too much starch. You’re basically resetting the fabric’s memory.
