How do people LIVE with fabric softened towels?

[Haroldwilson]

Staying in a holiday house. Towels soft and fluffy but so fabric softened that they don't absorb anything. I might as well scrape water off me with a spatula for all the good they do at drying.

Do people do this all the time? I can't cope with this savagery

Agreed. I find most people do this as they don't know how to keep their towels soft without it.

And when I explain why you shouldn't use it on towels most people I've spoken to prefer to have a non-working towel that feels artificially soft. It's craziness!

It's actually mad. Yes, my towels at home are a bit raspy on first use. But at least there's a point to using one. I might as well dry off in the wind as use the ones here.

It’s mad, they are absolutely pointless when they have fabric softener.

I don't use fabric softener on towels either but have to put them in the tumble dryer to soften them otherwise they are cardboard.
Any tips?

I love a crunchy towel, me.

I gave up fabric softener completely a few years ago, have never looked back - although I do live in an area with soft water, so maybe that makes it easier to get away with.

I always tumble dry towels to make them soft but would also love tips on how to make them fluffy without it.

1/2 cup white vinegar makes them soft.

I use fabric softner on towels and I have no issue with them not taking water. Everything in moderation I don't soak them in fabric softner. I often find people who use fabric softner over uses it.

'might as well scrape water off me with a spatula' has proper tickled me 😂

I'll admit to adding the occasional dash myself when the towels are pretty much standing up themselves, but I'd still rather they achieved their one job than be pointlessly fluffy. However, I'd love a fluffy solution that doesn't involve fabric softener, vinegar or a tumble drier if anyone has the right formula?

I always but fabric softener in and tumble them. They are very soft and fluffy.
What am I doing wrong? Why shouldn't I put softener in.

So do I- also crunchy sheets, though I do add fabric conditioner sometimes, with the white vinegar

Me too. Get a bit of exfoliation done when drying 🤣

We stopped using fabric softener a couple of years ago, and i don't mind the rougher feel, but I'm curious about this method. How do you do it?

I don't use fab con on anything now - just a bit of white vinegar instead. It's a revelation!

My perfect towel is crispy and stands up like a fence panel. Never use fabric softener on anything and hate the tumble dryer!

The way softener works is to add a waterproof coating to fibres, I think. Absolutely bonkers on a towel. Who wants a waterproof towel?

About a third less washing powder than recommended, white vinegar instead of fabric softener (your clothes don’t smell the chippy afterwards!), a second spin in the washing machine, and 10 minutes on hot in the tumble drier after air drying till they are just slightly damp. I have tumble dried for 10 mins just after taking them out of the washing machine but doing it just before they are fully dry is better (although if you don’t catch them at the right time, you need to put a damp cloth in the tumble drier to give them some moisture to soften up)

Usually I just endure the cardboard phase like a monk accepting his admonishment. I use a towel for about a week, one day of that is penance.

So it only works if you have a tumble dryer?

Loving the thread. Made me laugh. "Raspy" towels all the way. Dried on the line for extra raspy-ness". Went into our local outlet to buy a duvet cover the other day and was approached by the young salesman who said that they had a range that was "soft touch" and "really gentle and comfortable". I was after starchy and stiffish 😅Best night's sleeps ever on rock hard beds, firm pillows and stiff bedding. Doesn't suit everyone I know ! x

I don't think I've ever even owned fabric conditioner, and I'm nearing retirement. I like to give myself a good sanding after a shower.

Me too. Nice and scratchy.

I find baking soda really softens towels

Fabric softener is full of chemicals. Chemicals are not just bad for your skin but awful for your health and lead to conditions like asthma. Can't understand why anyone would want to use it on towels.

🤣