Little Lamb nappies....Very hard after drying.

[GoodGollyMissMolly]

I have the little lamb cotton nappies and they are wonderful in every way, except they seem to be quite hard (and kinda crisy, IYSWIM) after they have been dried.
I wash and dry them as the care instuctions say to. They go on a clothes horse around a radiator, so not on direct heat.
I have tried using extra fabric conditioner but it doesn't seem to make it any better. I have tried using soapnuts in the wash also, and although they seem a little better, not loads, and still very hard.

Does anyone know what I can do to get them soft again?

I'm afraid that its just they way cotton towelling acts, think about your dry towels, they can often seem rough to begin with- it's why they have started making nappies with bamboo and microfiber as they stay much softer

However, There's a couple of things you could try- put a couple of tblsp of vinegar into the conditioner space this kelps if you are in a hard water area (not sure of the science!) If you find they smell like a chippy then use less next time! Also if you have a tumble dryer you can give them a 10 min blast and that really fluff them up.

I would stop using softner though, it works by coating the fibres and that reduces the absorbency.

Good luck and may you have lots of nappy joy!

I find that my nappies go a bit crispy when I do my once a month powder wash (rest of the time I use eco-balls) and also when they dry really fast on my drying rack.
Vinegar instead of softener does help and I give my nappies a really good rub together to make them soft again. It can take a while but I'm sad and enjoy the nappy putting together ritual.

I was going to suggest vinegar - we have cotton prefolds and they can be quite stiff but it doesn't seem to bother DS2 at all.

Leaving them out in the rain for a day or two works for my MEOS. And I only use very little detergent with a detergent free pre wash.Bang them against the wall when they come out of the wash too.

Thanks you everyone, lots of good ideas. DD doesn't seem to mind them being a bit hard, but it would be nicer for her to be able to have some lovely soft ones.

I have stopped using the fabric conditioner now. What are eco balls?, how do they work??

ecoballs? Have a look on the ethical living thread, there is a useful link running at the moment about ethical living 'gadgets' and people have been discussing them on there.

Fabric conditioner will make them less absorbant.