Any tips to stop towels going hard when dried on the line?

[Springandsummerarecoming]

If I dry towels on the line they go hard and crunchy and everyone moans! I don’t really want to use the tumble drier on a gorgeous day like today. Any ideas?

You can tumble dry for a little whilst then finish on the line.

I like crunchy towels misses point

Fabric softener and bring them in as soon as they're dry.

I always use fabric softener but doesn’t seem to help. I will try drying them for 10 mins and then hanging them. Hopefully that will help.

If you can dry them in the shade, the air and heat will still dry them - just not AS crispy as being in full sun.

Do the opposite - line dry them, then give them a quick spray with plain water and chuck in the drier for 10 minutes.

When they’re off the line you need to rub them together and shake. It loosens up the fibres that have dried together.

You shouldn't really use fabric softener on towels as it affects the absorbency and as you've found, doesn't really make any difference in terms of the feel once they've been line dried anyway.

I tend to dry ours on the line and then put in the dryer for 10 mins on the "freshen up" cycle at the end to soften them.

I never use fabric softener with towels but regularly use white vinegar instead. Line dry after giving an extra spin then 10 mins in the tumble drier. Very soft towels.

Same here. Much better than those overly soft towels that just move the water round your body and don’t absorb it.

Ok. I’m just about to get them out then will give them a few mins in the tumble once they’ve dried.I may try half on the line and then a tumble and half a tumble then on the line.

Another crunchy towel fan here. One of the best things about a good line-drying day imo.

I’m the same as you, begrudging putting the timer drier on today, but 10 minutes in the tumble drier is all it takes to stop crunchy towels, or me having to iron certain clothes.

Crunchy towel fan here too.

I tried vinegar and the towels stank of vinegar.
I just put up with crunchy towels, we don't have a dryer.

Crunchy towels all the way for me too, insipid soft ones don’t work properly imho. Never use fabric softeners with towels either, my God people don’t you know the MN laundry rules?

Turkish towels
do the job, light, easy

I’d rather have crunchy towels than use a tumble dryer on hot/warm days. Very wasteful.

You don’t have to put them in for ten minutes five will do! I do this with everything on my line as there are lots of spiders and flies that end up on my laundry

A really good shake before you put them on the line can help. We have very hard water, so we’ve had to train ourselves to like crunchy towels.

Crunchy towels are the best exfoliator

Anyone putting on a drier today needs shooting

If you have outside space for drying and use a tumble dryer for ‘softer towels’ then that’s inexcusable.

After I got my smart meter, I compared how much electricity gets used up by various appliances

a full cycle of the tumble dryer uses less than the dishwasher yet driers are always trotted out as a terrible Earth killer, and dishwashers are lauded as an essential

I appreciate you can just plonk your dirty dishes in the garden to clean them, but is putting a drier on a short cycle for a few towels really going to make any difference? It just seems like a bit of a stick to bear people with

Full size chamois style towels are the answer to quickly drying you and quick, non-crunchy drying of the towels.