Towels

[Filbert]

I am really fed up of having towels that have the feel of cardboard. I have recently been given new ones that are soft and fluffy and I would love to know how to keep them this way.
Unfortunately I don't have a tumble dryer and have to dry them on a clothing frame on my balcony.
Any ideas??
Thanks in advance

[angeldraws]

This may seem obvious but...........buy yourself a tumble dryer....!! ;-P

[shaneystar2]

Don't use fabric softener for a start.It just coats the fibres and makes them less absorbent. And the more you wash them with added fabric softener the more like cardboard they will become.Always try to dry them in the fresh air .The jury is always out on this.The" for fabric softener "and the" anti fabric softener" brigade.
All very well to say buy a tumble drier but personal circumstances dictate tumble drier purchase.
I always wash my towels on 60�C ,no fabric softener and hang them on the line to dry in the wind.Soft fluffy towels always.

[mimififi]

if your water is very hard, that could be the reason for very hard towels. You could try adding a water softener (not fabric softener) like borax or calgon.

Alternatively, vinegar is a fabric softener too and doesn't smell of vinegar ones the clothes are dry. It also doesn't affect the absorbancy.

Shaneystar is right though, don't add fabric softener as they will become less absorbant.

I dry mine outside too as the sunlight kills bacteria.

[chazza]

When I moved out of my parents (who tumble dried their towels), I took a couple of towels with me, and found that they were rock hard after drying them indoors.

When I asked my mum about it she said that the reason they went hard was that they had been tumble dried before and now the natural drying causes the hardness.

I bought some new ones and have always dried them indoors and they are still as soft as ever, so the theory seems to work!

Also, line drying does not make towels as hard as indoor drying for some reason