soft towels

[flubber]

What's the best way to keep towels soft? I wash mine at the temperature specified on the label but within 3 months they could strip the skin or take varnish off wood. Could it be that I hang them on the line to dry then steam iron them? Could it be the soap powder or lack of condidioner?

All suggestions from fluppy soft towel experts welcomed!

[B00]

Not sure if that's a spelling mistake or deliberate, but I love the word "fluppy" !!!

Anyhows...I always find that line drying towels leaves 'em like cardboard, but tumble drying them leaves them ever so 'fluppy' :-)

[flubber]

Oh I meant fluffy but I prefer fluppy come to think of it......oh fine, so I buy myself a tumble dryer? It may be a cheaper alternative to continually facing ridicule from friends and family.

[shaneystar2]

We often have this conversation about towels !
There is the fabric softener brigade versus the no fabric softener brigade !
Fabric softener will coat the fibres and the towels loose their absorbency .Hard water can be a factor..if so.. a cup of old fashioned washing soda chucked into the machine can help to soften towels.
I never use fabric softener on towels and line dry them and they are always soft. I do finish them off in the drier in bad weather.
As for ironing towels ......life's too short.!

[flubber]

I have to iron my towels - when I take them off the line they are bent over sorta like they are starched. Wondering if its the detergent I use (Bold) that I love but it has a built in conditioner and I have heard that a conditioner is not a good idea.

I don't want to start a war between the conditioner/anti conditioner brigade at all !

[B00]

you get ridiculed for your towels? Tell em to bring their own with them when they come visiting then, the ruddy ungrates!

you tell em you like 'em 'fluppy'!

;-)

[shaneystar2]

Have a look at this thread here flubber
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home_and_Garden /Question242676.html

[flubber]

ok, ok - so I started a new word, heh - now off to look at the link.Oh yes Boo - I do get riduculed for my towels. I bought new for some visitors and I thought I got away with it until they spent all the next day picking the fluff off themselves. Little did they realise they could have had my old washed ones and taken a layer off their skin.

[miffy63]

While fluffy towels feel nice rough towels are invigorating for the skin so it's a matter of preference really.

[Kenzie]

The no-fabric softener approach worked for me as I had this problem until a few months back when I read a similar post on here. Before, I used fabric softener (and mistakenly thought fabric softener = soft towels, even more fabric softener = even softer towels!) which didn't work). Interesting point - I bought some towels from BHS at the beginning of the year and they are the only towels I've ever had that haven't gone hard at all so I'm buying from there in future.