cardboard towels

[shanx]

why after a while my bath towels feel like cardboard ? i am always buying new ones because of this,i always put conditioner in the machine and they have a good rinse.thanks

[Ethel]

Believe it or not, you should not use fabric conditioner with towels.

Best way to launder them is a 60 degree wash and tumble dry.

A cup of white vinegar in the final rinse will help to soften towels.

[mrknowall]

I bet you put them in the dryer

[heathfield]

Fabric conditioner puts a plastic coating on the fibres. This makes them more slippery, leading to fibre loss from the towels during tumble-drying, and reducing their absorbency.
Tumble-drying 'works' the towels by continually flexing the fibres and this should remove the stiffness.

[chazza]

I moved from my parents house which had a tumble drier, to my own, which does not, and took a bath sheet with me and bought the rest new.

Because the old bath sheet had previously been tumble dried, it became dry and scratchy and cardboardy when i dried it over the clothes line/radiator, whereas the others didnt.

I think if they have never been tumble dried then they dont need it to stay soft, but if you have ever tumble dried them then you need to keep doing it to keep them soft

[shanx]

thank you all,i havent got a tumble drier,but i have been drying them on a line in the garage in the bad weather,the boiler is in the garage,do you think it could be that?

[pingping]

hi shanx, i have recently bought a tumble dryer and my towels (which used to be hung over an airer to dry) used to be really stiff, and now they are super soft. if you can a tumble dryer you should - brilliant invention!

[shanx]

think i will stop using conditioner and try the white vinegar,and make sure they dry outside thank you all x

[gina32]

i always use a tumble dryer and wouldnt be without it, and i use conditioner in the wash, as does my daughter but her towels come out hard as well, i dont put the conditioner in with the wash she does but when its on final rinse i add it, makes all the difference