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[annieb]

Recently I have noticed that most of my bath and hand towels are ending up  very rough after washing.  It may be partly because some are old but I've noticed that even the new ones are not as fluffy as I would like after a few washes.  I was using BOLD but then read that you should not use conditioner in the towel wash so moved over to Persil (tablets).
Towels are lovely and clean and fresh smelling but just rough.
Can anyone recommend a solution - different washing powder ?  Maybe my washing machine is the problem (It's getting on a bit) or maybe I need to buy better quality towels.  Quite happy to make the extra investment in the towels (can't run to new machine at the mow) as Gran always says "Buy cheap buy twice!"

[CLKD]

Funnily enough, last week I was planning to open a thread on exactly this subject but forgot  .  Whether dried inside or on the line ours are quite stiff and harsh, doesn't make any difference on what material they are made from.

[babyjane]

Tumble dry them 

My husband detests rough towels and always tumble dries his gym towels, they come out lovely and soft and fluffy.  I always tumble dry the bath towels that he uses and they come out nice and soft too.

Me, I am not bothered as I find a rougher towel invigorating and I draw the line at tumble drying the dog's towels but yes, tumble drying does the trick 

[Annie0710]

I always use conditioner then tumble dry and haven't ever had rough towels

[dazned]

Tumble every time 

[cubagirl]

Tumble every time, unless there's a hurricane blowing outside.   

[annieb]

Not just me then CKLD
Slight problem with tumble drying NO TUMBLE DRYER - nowhere to put one either - any other ideas?

[babyjane]

when we lived in our first little house we had a tumble dryer in the dining room as there was no room anywhere else.  It was a godsend for the terry towelling nappies, made them lovely and fluffy and soft for little bots 

[Dancinggirl]

Maybe I'm strange but I don't like soft towels.  I like to really give myself a good buff down with a rough towel after my shower - get rid of loose skin and dry patches, get the circulation going and leave the skin ready for some body moisturiser. This will do the same as those body scrubs you can use in the bath or shower.  I also think that it will allow for better absorption if you are using Oestrogel. DG x

[Katejo]

I have the same problem with rough towels. OK one or two of them are a bit old now but i can't justify throwing them out yet (parents and grandparents kept towels for years.... ). i also have no tumble dryer. My kitchen isn't big enough for both and I read that washer dryers were pretty inefficient last time I replaced the washing machine so I didn't bother with one.

[Annie0710]

Ours is a condensing one so doesn't cause problems

[dazned]

I tumble dry everything,life's to short to iron 

Can honestly say when I changed to this method the electric bill didn't go up that much,especially when considering the hours spent ironing. If the weather's good I hang them out until nearly dry then finish off in dryer,the secret is not to put too much in at once. My dryer is outside in shed/workshop.

[Pennyfarthing]

I tumble dry everything,life's to short to iron 

Can honestly say when I changed to this method the electric bill didn't go up that much,especially when considering the hours spent ironing. If the weather's good I hang them out until nearly dry then finish off in dryer,the secret is not to put too much in at once. My dryer is outside in shed/workshop.

Lots of items can't be tumble dried though.  Most sweatshirts can't for example. My friend used to tumble dry everything and wondered why they got so tight.

I tumble dry towels if the weather is bad. 

[CLKD]

What's a tumble dryer  ...... I use conditioner with the towel wash and have tried without, same result - too ruff even to use on the dog  .

I think I dry ours too quickly.

[ariadne]

I read that using white vinegar instead of fabric softener helps keep towels fluffy. The article said that fabric softener reduces absorbency.

I couldn't bring myself to give up fabric softener completely so now I use half softener and half white vinegar. I buy a 4 litre tub from Amazon or eBay and it lasts for ages.

And, so far so good - towels are soft and fluffy.

Ariadne xx