To ask how to make towels "fluffy" without a tumble drier?

[ASauvignonADay]

(Without saving to buy a tumble drier..)

Wish I knew! I've been trying not to tumble dry mine to save on the electricity bill, but hanging them up to dry seems to result in the saddest, scratchiest towels imaginable!

Use a bit less washing powder and chuck some white vinegar in the fabric softener bit. I tried it, but i do have a tumble dryer. I did think they were a bit softener.

I've read somewhere that they get hard because the powder builds up in them. Mine sometimes get an extra rinse to be sure.

I don't think you can really. But only use the tiniest amount of washing powder and add some white vinegar.

I don't think you can.

I wouldn't bother. I much prefer a rough, scratchy towel.

I think I once read not to use fabric conditioner on towels.

Surely fabric conditioner would help, wouldn't it?

I think you can get fragrance-free if you don't want excessive perfume.

And then dry outside on the line.

Put on extra rinse then a splash of white vinegar in the final rinse. Steam iron when almost dry and then a good airing.

I think I read fabric conditioner reduces the ’towelling’ properties of a towel, it puts a coating on the material that stops it absorbing any water and just gets the surface wet quickly.

Because we have very hard water, I use a liquid detergent for laundry. We don't have a tumble drier, and my towels stay nice and soft and pretty fluffy.

Cheap towels don't stay as fluffy though. The Dunelm "hotel quality" ones I have are years old now, and still really fluffy.

Steam iron when almost dry and then a good airing.

I came on to say that. My mum was a bit of a pattern when it came to housework but we always had soft towels.

You can’t I’m afraid

Fabric softeners may slightly impact on effectiveness of the towel.

But they absolutely contribute to softness

Slattern - she was a slattern!

What's wrong with you autocorrect??

I paid a fortune for top of John Lewis range.

Years later they are as soft and luxurious as day 1

Never use fabric conditioner on towels. It's basically coating the fibres with a cross between oil and plastic. Stops them absorbing water. Holds dirt inside the fibres making the cloth look dingy. Makes matters worse in the long run as it builds up wash upon wash and even more so if no tumble drier is involved. If you do have fabric conditioner build up already: 1/2 cup biological soap powder (Daz is good) and 1 large size cap (100ml) of Ace colour safe bleach added directly in the drum in the middle of the fabric. Then 2 table spoons of washing soda crystals dissolved in hot water and added after the water has gone in. Also, add a few litres of extra hot water with a jug through the drawer after the water fill is complete as most modern washing machines don't use enough water to properly dissolve the powder.

This also works to get bedding sparkling again and brings white tee shirts up like new.

You don't have to do it every time, just every few washes.

Washing liquids and tabs etc. are all well and good but they don't do the job of a washing powder. May as well just swish you clothes round in a bubble bath with some of them.

Fabric softener makes all fabric dingy and dull, is also terrible for causing those horrid yellow pit stain patches on tops. I stopped using it about 6 years ago and our clothes have never been cleaner.

You really need a tumble dryer and dryer sheets to make them super fluffy. But I quite like towels dried outside too - in the summer I do that as although they're less fluffy they have that lovely outdoors dried smell.

Tennis balls in the washing machine. Also works if you don't pillows and duvets to clump up.

Following, no room for a dryer and would love soft fluffy towels.. but seems impossible. Tried the vinegar trick, didn’t work for me, only thing I’ve found to make them slightly softer is regularly shaking them out as they dry, doesn’t help with the fluffiness though.

Hang them outside. I don't use softener either, I hate it, it feels weird on fabrics. Just use the washing liquid pouches and then hang to dry. I find shaking them out works too (as pp has said)... if I dry them inside every couple of hours or so if you shake them/rehang them it seems to help quite a bit.

Dunelm Egyptian cotton towels stay really soft even without a tumble dryer

Really good tip Betty, I'm going to try that! My white towels are grey, I hate it.

My MIL irons them (also uses a lot of conditioner) here are fluffy
Mine are rough and like exfoliators!!

A couple of drops of olive oil in the Wash makes them floofy!