Hard towels

Megs36 my Dad went to stay with my brother and was told if he wanted a soft towel he should bring his own!
I dry mine on a big clothes horse but then give them half an hour in the tumble dryer to soften them up, that compromise seems to work.

There’s something about soaking them in bicarbonate first. Google it!

The upside of drying towels outside and then resembling emery cloth is they are brilliant exfoliators.

A friend told me she irons on top of towels. That softens them up a bit. Always give them a good shake before line drying and also half way through drying. Otherwise just get used to hard towels.

I have had a water softener for years, but it’s only in the last couple of years that my towels have gone hard. Could the washing powder be different now? There’s clearly something afoot if so many people are having the same problem. We need answers!!

I wouldn't want to be without my tumble dryer. All my washing goes straight from the washing machine to the tumble dryer. I pop in a tumble dryer sheet and I have lovely soft washing. Nothing shrinks, everything smells nice and if you take it out soon after the cycle ends you can lay it on the bed or hang it up straight away and it reduces ironing. In fact I hardly ever iron anything. What it might cost to use the tumble dryer you save on not ironing. Both time and money.

When my children were babies and towelling nappies were the only option, I found that running an iron over them, preferably steam, softened them up no end. I know an awful lot of gransnetters hate ironing, so may not be an option!

V3ra???

White vinegar softens them and also breaks down the build up of soap in face clothes. No chip shop smell either.

Go green and use eco friendly laundry nuts or an Eco Egg.

I love to dry washing outside With towels, if the weather is fine and breezy (i.e. really good "drying" weather) I peg them out "pushed along" somewhat, in something of a concertina fashion, that is to say, not pulled "flat" along the line. This seems to help. And as V3ra says, a short time in the tumble dryer (after line drying) can help, too.

I quite like crispy bath towels ! You get an exfoliation as you dry!
I live in a very hard water area - I have found that using some soda crystals in with the washing powder helps and if line drying outside, just don't leave them out so long ! Todays washing machines spin them a lot dryer , so they are usually only a bit damp when they go outside. Sometimes just an hour on the line is enough !

Give them a good shake before hanging them out then a shake and a rub when dry and they become soft enough for everyone.

Try putting your towels on 40 wash with no detergent, to strip out all the residue.You will be surprised at the state of the water might need to do it twice. I live in a very hard water area use Lidl no bio liquid on all towels and bedding then every couple of months I repeat the no detergent wash. If you can get a dryer and only use for towels it will help

Add bicarbonate of soda to the rinse, and hang them out of the sun.

I live in a hard water area and do not have a tumble dryer. What works for me is an ecoegg for the laundering of everything. All my towels are soft and I haven’t had to buy washing powder/tablets for years now.
It saves money and I only buy one small fabric conditioner a year which is used for hand washing. Perfect!

Fabric Conditioner & tumble dry works for me.

I read a great tip in the newspaper some time ago which I now always use. Put white vinegar in the fabric softener tray instead of fabric softener. When the towels are washed, hang them on the line until they are nearly dry then put them in the tumble dryer for a few minutes. They come out beautifully soft.

Hard water area here. I do have a tumble drier but only use for towels if I dry them outside and want to soften them. I pop them in to finish off. When the aga is on I dry then on an airer and That tends to keep them softer. If all else fails I use a steam iron on the towels and roll them up. The little bit of steam seems to relax the fibres.

Never use conditioner on towels. My MiL does this; they smell after the first use as the conditioner traps the water and stops it from evaporating and drying properly. Yuck.

What I do:

Wash on 60 degrees with HALF the amount of recommended powder.

Line dry or put on the clothes rack until 80% dry.

Finish off in the tumbler.

I have tumbler balls in my tumbler which helps, in my opinion.

I wash my bath towels twice a week. Hand towels are changed daily, two days at most.

We have a water softener but towels still hard if dried outdoors.

I usually tumble mine and they are always soft.

My mother (who didn’t have a tumble drier) used to iron the towels to soften them.
Occasionally on a warm day I line dry my towels and then I run the iron over them (it doesn’t take long...).

Live in soft water area and towels dry hard i side or out. Only if there is a strong wind to whip the towels about are they reasonably soft.

I have a water softener and use Calgon in every wash. My towels, if dried outside, nearly crack when folded! The only way I have found to soften them is to refresh them for a few minutes in the tumble dryer.
I hadn’t heard of ironing them and will give it a try but, doesn’t it flatten the nap?

I’ve always lived in a hard water area and have a soft water fixed to my washing machine and Im lucky enough to have a tumble dryer. Previously I copied my mum and ironed towels which softened the up and didn’t take long to do.