How to get towels soft without tumble drying

[Chopsicle]

Is it possible? No matter what softener I use they end up like cardboard ☹️

I don’t think it’s possible - i tried everything. The best compromise i’ve found since getting a tumble drier is to mainly dry them on the line and then do the last 10 mins in the tumble drier to fluff them up.

Also softener will eventually reduce their absorbency and can make them feel slimy.

Softener in the wash then iron them when they're still a tiny bit damp and/or with lots of steam.

To avoid softener slime use a home made softener like baking soda or Epsom salts with essential oils or vinegar (or a mix of them all!)

Does anyone find the quality of the towel makes a difference? I tend to buy Dunelm mid range towels but wondered if spending a bit more would make a difference?

Maybe it's your towels, or water? I don't use softener and line dry most of the time and our towels are quite soft and fluffy. No way cardboard like but just right as if they're too soft I wouldn't have thought that they would dry you properly.

Our water is soft and our towels are mostly Asda, but also Matalan. I have noticed some of the older ones are a bit crispy so maybe you need new towels? Asdas get recommended on here and we have a mystery Matalan hand towel that DP must have bought or pinched off someone that seems quite nice.

Inadvertently answering blobbys question without even seeing it, no I don't think you need expensive towels, hence the Asda or Matalan recommendation. If you're not fussy about colour they can have some great bargains in the sales.

I do what others have said, line or airer dry virtually all washing then out in dryer for 10 or 15 minutes. The best compromise I have found. Never use softener for anything. With respect of quality I thunk it's nd mix. I have designer guild towels that are crap and ones that are very soft and absorbent ( I buy towels from to maxx often) tesco have some great ones and John Lewis in their sales

I'm odd, I hate soft towels, they never feel completely clean to me.

I put a few spoonfuls of white vinegar in the fabric conditioner drawer
They still feel soft not slimey and they don’t smell of vinegar!

I cannot bear towels which have been washed with softener, they just don't dry you!
I put a capful of white vinegar in the conditioner drawer and line dry (or airing cupboard when raining) They're normally soft enough but I'll fluff them up in the dryer if need be.

Tried the vinegar but my towels are still crispy! Expensive towels too so can't blame it on cheap towels 😕

We do have hard water here so maybe that's why.

Also I've never had the slime thing and I always use softener.

We have hard water here too and when I buy a new box of washing power I always add a bag of soda crystals and mix it in really well
I think they are 79p a bag from home bargains or a quid from Tesco
It bulks out my powder cheaply,softens the water,gets rid of limescale and shifts stains
I get at least another 1/3 out of the box
(If you use tablets/gel that’s maybe part of the problem?
I always had problems with my clothes with washing tablets)

I'm in a soft water area and my towels are like cardboard too. Vinegar doesn't help and I don't use fabric conditioner and wouldn't anyway on towels.
They're John Lewis towels. When I had Tesco ones they never went hard, but they felt limp and I didn't really like them.
The 10 minutes in the dryer works best, but at least a cardboard towel dries you properly so I don't usually bother.

Oh, and I use powder so it's not caused by tablets or liquid.

If you don't have a dryer try putting it in the washing machine on spin with a couple of clean tennis balls. It softens it quite a lot but not as good as a tumble dryer.

I can't get mine fluffy without at least 10 minutes in the dryer. Hate fabric softener so don't use it, though I do love a bit of white vinegar so I'm might give that a go.

I like a nice fresh crispy cardboard towel :o