HELP - crunchy towels!! What fabric conditioner do you use in hard water, like London, without a tumble dryer??

Just picking up this old thread - first of all, never, ever, ever use fabric conditioner with towels (or indeed any of your clothes that you need to absorb sweat or water). Not only will it make them twenty times worse over time because of the build up of residue, it will also make them much worse at absorbing water, and builds up a layer which prevents them from being washed properly by your detergent. What you need in hard water areas is a water softener with each wash - you should use this with everything you wash as not only will limescale build up with each wash if you don't, the limescale can also damage your stuff. You can get the water softener tablets quite cheaply from all the supermarkets. It's also a good idea to the Dettol or supermarket own brand antibacterial laundry liquids to make sure all bacteria is killed. Detergents will not do this unless they are powders which contain bleach.

Here is a short video from the consumer association "Which" explaining why using fabric conditioner on your towels really destroys them over time:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1389914522384945&vanity=whichuk

Add some washing soda crystals to the drawer or a cup of white vinegar. Either will deal with the crunchy feel in hard water areas.

Much less expensive than fabric conditioner and cuts the number of plastic bottles too.

Another white vinegar user

Envious of those of you that can line dry. If I hung my towels out to dry they’d be crunchy from being frozen solid. Not sure how anyone coped before tumble dryers. Presumably they didn’t wash or dried things in front of a fire!

(Northern Canada. Currently an unseasonable -7. Usually -30 or so with the wind chill)

Use some soda crystals in your wash

I like mine crunchy.
But you could try soda crystals and less detergent. Good for the washing machine, anyway.

Bog standard soda crystals.

Add a heaped tablespoon or two dissolved in hot water through the drawer after the wash has got going.

Use soap powder, not detergent liquids because they slime your towels up and don't remove dirt so effectively, but use only a third to a half the recommended dose.

Run through on a second 60 degree cycle without adding any more detergent and add distilled white vinegar to the rinse.

The goal is to remove all residues, be that dirt, washing detergents or the often overlooked residue of soap/shower gel/shampoo/hair conditioner/etc that gets on your towels when used.

My towels are model and cotton from House of Fraser in a 70% off sale a few years ago. I usually use Lenor fabric conditioner though it can be whichever is on offer if it smells nice... they’re a lot softer than many!

I have had hard, crunchy towels since the rules regarding laundry products were changed, a few years now. Phosphates used to soften the water and keep the dirt in the water until it was rinsed away but they were accused of being environmentally bad.

I use detergent sparingly and not in every wash. Looking at the amount of suds in a machine without adding detergent you can see you don't need any more. Washing detergent doesn't soften.

I have tried vinegar, made no difference, however I do use it on a hot wash to clean the machine. Extra water in the wash makes no difference because it is extremely hard water.

I shake the towels, they are still stiff and scratchy. Ironing still leaves me with hard towels.

Our water is white when it comes out of the tap. I can soften the towels only in the tumble dryer, but just tell myself they will exfoliate my skin if I don't.

There are types of phosphate you can buy (not easily) but beware as they can also mess up your machine. It is much easier to live with hard towels, and cotton jumpers, and stiff, scratchy pyjamas. I don't use conditioner, it contains worse things than phosphates.

I love crunchy towels. I dislike the almost slimy softness of a brand new towel, not to mention all the fluff it sheds until it's been washed a few times.

Can't help you - crunchy towels are fantastic. Actually dry you.

Hate going to b&bs etc and having to try and get dry on a piece of slimy fluff!

Fabric softener will waterproof your towels for you.

Mind are washed and line-dried in a nice breeze and are lovely and fluffy.

We have hard water and I've found that using a liquid detergent rather than a tablet or powder makes a difference.

My towels are soft and I use own-brand fabric conditioner. I concede that they're not massively fluffy though!

I also dry them from the curtain rails in the bedrooms, and each window has a radiator beneath, so they get warm air. If I wash them late afternoon, they get heat all evening and again in the morning, and are then dry enough to put away in the airing cupboard.

It makes the house smell nice while they are drying, too.

Fabric conditioner reduces the absorbency. Use a spoonful of soda crystals (cheap too).
Me, I prefer the exfoliating action of a crispy towel.

Same as @plumpootle here - fairy fabric conditioner - london - hard water - all good!

I quite like a thin, crunchy towel which dries me properly. But since the rest of the household moans about the crunchiness of towels I iron all of mine . It works well to get back some semblance of softness and doesn't affect absorbency like fabric conditioner does.
I have a towel from Dunelm - labelled as The Towel That Loves To Be Washed .It has stayed quite soft and fluffy after a couple of years use . Ive just checked and they dont seem to be carried any more which is a shame .

YABU because crunchy towels are the best.my favourite thing about Summer is crisp, line-dried towels.

Tumble dryer soft ones never feel properly clean or that they are properly drying me.

I dont think that you can get properly soft and fluffy towels without a Tumble Drier really. We are in a hard water area as well .Maybe invest in one just for towels/sheets .

I use fairy or comfort but they won't be soft as if dried in tumble. Fabric conditioner doesn't stop towel drying me but I only add a small bit but I do live in hard water area.

use less detergent & white vinegar.

they will never be as fluffy as dried in a tumble dryer though.

White vinegar , I hate fabric conditioner it just coats the fibres of towels which means they don’t dry properly

White vinegar is great for this, add a cup to the drawer.

It's also fab if you fill a cup in your dishwasher with white vinegar, it removes any white marks.