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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

No dryer and towels are like sandpaper

43 replies

Gingernaut · 29/03/2022 09:17

I live in a hard water area and have recently changed from a washer/dryer to a washing machine.

The towels are coming out hard and scratchy.

Besides taking the wet towels to the launderette a quarter of a mile away for 10p a minute in their dryers, how do I stop my towels exfoliating me every time I wash them?

OP posts:
SatinHeart · 29/03/2022 09:22

Fabric softener?

I live in a massively hard water area and don't own a dryer. My towels aren't scratchy so I promise you it's not the lack of a dryer that's the problem.

babasaclover · 29/03/2022 09:34

Nothing but a tumble works for me. Our water is atrocious!!! Can you fit a separate tumble in the garage? Not ideal but can't stand stretchy towels

Original poster
Gingernaut · 29/03/2022 17:45

Will try fabric conditioner, I've got no garage.

OP posts:
WhatIsThisPlease · 29/03/2022 17:56

I love sandpaper towels!! I purposely dry mine on the airer so they don't go soft.

Soft fluffy towels don't feel clean to me Smile

Sorry. That was no help to you whatsoever.

SundayNameMange · 29/03/2022 18:10

Wash them every now and then with no powder.

Shake once dry.

Calgon/ similar.

7394GFReg · 29/03/2022 18:13

When we got a water softener we were told that if the towels dried stiff then we were using too much soap. (We use about 1/3 of the soap with soft water)

Maybe reduce soap usage or like Sunday says wash occasionally without soap.

Eyeplayer · 29/03/2022 18:21

@WhatIsThisPlease

I love sandpaper towels!! I purposely dry mine on the airer so they don't go soft.

Soft fluffy towels don't feel clean to me Smile

Sorry. That was no help to you whatsoever.

Me too! It’s a real treat when I get a line dried towel!
RuthW · 29/03/2022 18:25

Eco egg makes my towels lovely and soft without fabric conditioner

SickAndTiredAgain · 29/03/2022 18:28

@WhatIsThisPlease

I love sandpaper towels!! I purposely dry mine on the airer so they don't go soft.

Soft fluffy towels don't feel clean to me Smile

Sorry. That was no help to you whatsoever.

Me too! I think they dry you better as well.
KateTheEighth · 29/03/2022 18:48

@WhatIsThisPlease

I love sandpaper towels!! I purposely dry mine on the airer so they don't go soft.

Soft fluffy towels don't feel clean to me Smile

Sorry. That was no help to you whatsoever.

I agree! I love a hard towel!

Roselilly36 · 29/03/2022 18:54

I am really not liking the stiff towels, before the energy crisis, I always tumble dried my towels and they were super soft. Now it’s they are like a loofah, hate it.

Original poster
Gingernaut · 29/03/2022 21:20

@Roselilly36

I am really not liking the stiff towels, before the energy crisis, I always tumble dried my towels and they were super soft. Now it’s they are like a loofah, hate it.
Mate. I get it.
OP posts:
Blimecory · 29/03/2022 21:22

I’m in a hard water area and don’t have a tumble dryer. Stiff towels are all I know. I like them. Anything else would feel very wrong. Maybe you just need time to get used to it.

Undecicive · 29/03/2022 21:27

I don't use a drier for environmental reasons but loads of vinegar in the conditioner compartment does the job. (Conditioners are not good for absorbency, anyway.)

EveSix · 29/03/2022 21:28

I like my towels like tree bark.
A soft towel feels 'used' to me. Or like I'm layering myself in fabric softener. Which is rank.

Palavah · 29/03/2022 21:32

I love a towel like a ryvita. Gets the circulation going.

PermanentTemporary · 29/03/2022 21:34

Exfoliation!

Floydthebarber · 29/03/2022 21:36

You can't. Embrace the scratchy towel. I live for summer when I can hang the towels out and enjoy max scratch.

MayaWasSackedForGCBeliefs · 29/03/2022 21:38

Try a spoon of soda crystals in with the wash. It's £1.

Rickrollme · 29/03/2022 21:38

Fabric conditioner will make your towels softer but it also reduces their absorbency. Sorry that’s not helpful I know.

www.familyhandyman.com/article/why-you-shouldnt-use-fabric-softener-on-towels/

OldTinHat · 29/03/2022 21:49

A scratchy towel is the best thing ever!

Calmasasleepycat · 30/03/2022 08:23

You can buy fabric conditioner specially designed for towels. Lakeland do a lavender scented one and Ecozone do one which is cheaper but not so scented. They don’t affect absorbency. They’re not as effective as using a tumble drier, but the towels are definitely not as scratchy. 😊

M0rT · 30/03/2022 08:30

White vinegar in the drawer for every wash will help keep your clothes/towels soft and stop the limescale from clogging up your washing machine. I get the cheap Lidl one.

CaptainMyCaptain · 30/03/2022 08:31

@SatinHeart

Fabric softener?

I live in a massively hard water area and don't own a dryer. My towels aren't scratchy so I promise you it's not the lack of a dryer that's the problem.

I don't have a dryer either. They fluff up when you use them. Perhaps you have used too much washing powder that could make them hard.
JenniferAllisonPhillipaSue · 30/03/2022 12:21

I'm another who loves a scratchy towel - the fluffy ones just seem to move the water droplets around, where the hard towels actually absorb the water (maybe because they're so desperate for a bit of moisture!) We dry on the airer, on radiators, or on the line to achieve maximum hardness - love the PP's "ryvita" description!