Making towels soft

zaax

I dry them over the radiator at present., and we haven't any rain anyway

Lucy_Lastic

At the moment what with the weather and the fact that I am working full time, I have to dry all my washing indoors.

My towels are rather "crunchy" and I do prefer a softer fluffier towel really, although these are probably very good for exfoliation!

I do have a tumble drier, but in the interests of money saving I tend not to use it much.

Is there any way of getting my towels softer without resorting to the tumble drier?

I wash them on a 40c or sometimes 60c cycle with Surf powder (it was on offer), a scoop of washing soda and have tried adding Comfort softner.

Any ideas?

notanewuser

Don't use softener. It reduces the absorbency of towels and is no good for your clothes either.

A capful of white vinegar works wonders on towels instead of conditioner. I dry mine on radiators and airers until dry, then chuck in the dryer for 5 to 10 minutes with some dryer balls. Lovely fluffy towels.

Lucy_Lastic

Thanks for that. I knew about softner being bad for your towels and have tried washing them without softner and also with vinegar.

TBH I have noticed no difference in absorbency whatever I use.

Regarding softness I think, as I suspected, that I have to resort to the tumble drier and blow the expense! I know it's not much if you just pop them in for 10 minutes, but before the advent of the tumble drier did we not have soft towels?

I'm off to get me some balls

good_advice

Hiya, my towels are the same because I line dry then clothes horse.
The micro fibre towels do not go crunchy and dry quicker. I have a mixture of both.

notanewuser

Lucy_Lastic wrote: »

Thanks for that. I knew about softner being bad for your towels and have tried washing them without softner and also with vinegar.

TBH I have noticed no difference in absorbency whatever I use.

Regarding softness I think, as I suspected, that I have to resort to the tumble drier and blow the expense! I know it's not much if you just pop them in for 10 minutes, but before the advent of the tumble drier did we not have soft towels?

I'm off to get me some balls

A couple of days in a warm airing cupboard does quite a good job too.

bargainbetty

Lucy_Lastic wrote: »

I'm off to get me some balls

I was just going to echo the comment about vinegar, but this made me laugh.

casperlarue

Over time, towels build up detergent and fabric softener, leaving them unable to absorb as much water and smelly. Recharge them by washing them once with 60 deg hot water and 1cup vinegar, then a 2nd time with 60 deg hot water and half cup baking soda. This strips the residue and leaves them fresh and able to absorb more water again.

pigpen

I loooove crunchy towels.. I don't feel clean unless I've grated off a few layers of skin with the towel lol

Beckyy

Have you tried brushing them? Enough to fluff them up a bit, but without damaging them.

Failing that, a quick spin in teh tumble dried to take the last of the damp out? Tumble dried towels are one of my few luxuries!