Clothes Softener

[scoobydooby]

Has anyone any suggestions on how I can keep my clothes/towels etc nice and soft after being washed? I live in a hard water area, use fabric conditioner, yet when I bring my towels in from the line, they're like cardboard. Hubby's socks aren't too good either - but I suspect the smelly git is wearing them for a few days before changing them, making them crusty! Everyone else seems to have nice soft towels for their kids to take swimming. What am I doing wrong?

[bednobs]

lots of disussions on this before that i dont seem to be able to find presently
Basically 3 things
1) never use conditioner on towels - apparently it makes the fibres flat or something
2) finishe them off in a tumble dryer after being nearly dry on the line#
3) you can get these little ball things to put in the wash with them

[bednobs]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Home_and_Garden /Question242676.html

[Wool]

Have the same problem...only solution seem to be to use a tumble dryer, which I do at night on economy 7 for cheaper electricity. Does seem very eco friendly, but my daughter pleads with me to do this as my towels sound like yours!

[scoobydooby]

Thanks to you both. Looks like I'll have to invest in a tumble drier. I had a combi washing machine/tumble drier that broke down 7 years ago and I only bought a washing machine to replace it. My tumble drier was one of those that didn't seem to dry the washing - just warm it up, so I thought it was a waste of money and invested in a more expensive washer instead. I'll need to re-think and have a chat with the sales staff in my local electrical store!

[shaneystar2]

You should never use fabric softener on towels ..it coats the fibres and makes them less able to absorb water.A cup of washing soda in the machine will do the same job and soften the water.But ..if you have always used fabric softener they will remain like cardboard however much you wash them.
I always wash towels and flannels on 60c bung them on the line and they are always soft. In the winter when it is difficult to get them completely dry I just put them in the dryer to finish off.
In fact I use very little fabric softener on anything ..only jumpers and jeansand then very diluted.It coats everything with that sickly smell.Yuk.
Luckily we live on the coast with lovely fresh sea air which dries everything soft and fresh smelling plus the added bonus(?)of gales of wind a lot of the time ! .

[Purplewitch]

I always use the Eco range stuff which I find is great for keeping things soft and fresh. I can't for the life of me remember what the second half of the name is, it's Eco something, about 6 letters long altogether, and the 'Eco' part is green and the last 3 letters are in blue.

The best thing I use on my towels (and in fact now all of my washing) are the balls which you put in the washing machine drum with your washing instead of any other powder or liquid stuff. I can't find the branded ones anywhere on the net but these ones on ebay look exactly the same and are great value considering I paid �11 for one ball and a stain remover stick a few years ago. They last for ages too :)

Good luck, this should save you buying a new tumble dryer!!!