Hard towels

I’m not really keen on crispy towels, although I know they are more absorbent, and I’ve been looking to replace my M&S towels that have gone a bit thin.

I had been looking at Tencel mix towels (Tencel/Lyocell is apparently produced from Eucalyptus trees, who knew!), and after Unigran’s comment about bamboo towels, thought I would check those out too.

So, today I went to a large shopping centre, and looked in M&S, which had Tencel mix towels in their Autograph range - very nice and soft, but the bath sheet was £30, which I felt was a bit steep. Also looked in John Lewis, but they didn’t have much to offer.

Then, I decided to check out TKMaxx, not expecting to find anything, and was delighted to find bamboo towels! With a price of £12.99 for a bath sheet, and £4.99 for a hand towel, I couldn’t resist! Bought 2 of each! Deliciously soft and fluffy, I’m really looking forward to using them. See pic attached.

I used to think it made sense to dry the towels in the line then fluff them up in the tumble dryer, but they didn't seem to lose the hardness of the line drying,especially on hot days. So I tried popping them in the dryer first, then hanging them out while still warm. Perfect! They still retain a little of the hardness, but are on the whole soft and crease-free.

We have hard water with a water softener but I'm not sure that's really much help as the kettle still gets pretty scaley.

I love the crispness. Of hard towels , I find the soft towels don’t dry me as well

Unigran
Please tell me more about bamboo towels.
Are they very absorbent?

sophieschoice

I love a good rough towel. I wouldn't feel dry on a soft towel. I'd like to know where I can buy really rough towels. Anyone know?

Just give me your new ones for a couple of washes, sophie and I will return them stiff and hard as toast

I use white vinegar and whites are brighter and softer no smell but must be distilled white vinegar. Big bottle from Amazon really cheap

Bamboo towels solves this problem instantly

I don’t mind a hard towel, but I use half a yogurt cup of soda crystals with my washing liquid to soften the water and help prevent scale buildup.

Hard towels dry you better

I love a good rough towel. I wouldn't feel dry on a soft towel. I'd like to know where I can buy really rough towels. Anyone know?

I really don’t like soft towels, they’re just not properly absorbent. And I only use our tumble dryer when I have to, as they’re so bad for the environment.

Shouldn't worry too much about your towels Parky, as Calendargirl states, I've been bought up on hard water and actually, my hairdresser always says towels that are soft do not obsorb the water so well, and she always prefers hard towels.

I had this problem and getting some stick from the other half about it as if I wasn't doing the washing properly. With or without fabric conditioner didn't make any different, tried the vinegar and baking soda again no difference at all. Bought new towels and just the same after a few washes. So have found the solution, peg out and bring in after about another quarter of the drying time left and put in the tumble dryer. I hate doing it, seems a waste of resource when the sun is shining and free drying BUT the tumble dryer does work I can tell you and soft towels now. Plus martial harmony resorted!

I always put my towels in the tumble drier too and really think it's the only way to get lovely soft towels. I have tried using white vinegar, doesn't seem to make any difference. We had a water softener put in about 18mths ago and on the odd occasion I didn't put a towel in the tumble drier they ended up hard. What I do now is just put them in the tumble dryer for about half an hour, so they are still pretty damp and I put them on the airer in the utility close to the hot water tank and by the next morning they are bone dry and fluffy too

I live in softwater area and have been using same brand of wash powder (no liquid or capsules) for years but in last while I get very crispy laundry. I like to use powder (no conditioner) as can reduce the amount as I see fit. Maybe they are changing the formula to go with lower recommended temperatures?

A good shake loosens them up.

Aepgirl asks if the washing powder could be different now.
I wonder if this is due to there being more of those all-in-one detergents which are supposed to add softness like a fabric conditioner. This doesn't work with towels - one of my old favourites literally disintegrated when I used one of them for a couple of weeks. I avoid any detergent that has "softness" on the label like the plague.

I'd try one the proprietary water softeners like Calgol, or washing soda, which would soften the water and eventually wash out the calcium. You could perhaps soak in a strong solution?
And I agree with others, don't use fabric softeners as they reduce absorbancy and flatten individual threads.

Add vinegar to the rinsing water.

If that doesn't help, iron your towels.

I think it all depends on the type of clothes line that you use. I live in a soft water area and in my previous house had an old fashioned clothes line which meant that my clothes dried about 15 ft. in the air. Living on the coast meant that we always had sea breezes (strong winds) and my towels were always soft.
I have now moved to a new build in the same town. I love it, but my only regret is the lack of a proper clothes line. I now dry my clothes on a removable washing line which even with a clothes prop is only about 3 ft off the ground. The wind does not penetrate really and all my towels are now quite hard after drying.
I do put white vinegar in the washing machine about once a month but that only keeps the machine clean, it does not to much for the towels.

I have to say that a tumble drier is the best solution and l always use it for towels whatever the weather (everything else goes outside as much as possible). It does help to keep towels softer for longer. Other problems in hard water areas are that appliances don't last as long. The inside of a kettle after a little while is a sight to behold. There are some associated health problems such as kidney stones being more common but l believe heart problems are less common. I have had eczema all my life and have to say how much better my skin was on a holiday in Devon.

Invest in a water softener - one of the most useful things we have bought - protects electrical appliances too. I sometimes give towels 5 mins in the tumble drier after line drying - works well without eating up too much electricity.

I’ve always lived in a hard water area and have a soft water fixed to my washing machine and Im lucky enough to have a tumble dryer. Previously I copied my mum and ironed towels which softened the up and didn’t take long to do.

I have a water softener and use Calgon in every wash. My towels, if dried outside, nearly crack when folded! The only way I have found to soften them is to refresh them for a few minutes in the tumble dryer.
I hadn’t heard of ironing them and will give it a try but, doesn’t it flatten the nap?

Live in soft water area and towels dry hard i side or out. Only if there is a strong wind to whip the towels about are they reasonably soft.