My towels are hard after washing.

Your towels are drying hard because they still have skin on them i find if you rewash a couple of times more that should sort the problem out

We are hard water - i use Ariel Gel and fairy Conditioner, then dry on line, and whizz to fluff up in tumble dryer for 5 mins..

I've been thinking about throwing all my towels out and starting again.
It's good to know it isn;t just me. I only wish there was some way of solving this problem, I loathe and detest a hard towel.
The only thing I haven't tried is the spiky balls. And woudn;t you know it? My local Lakeland is closed this week.

Could it be a build up of detergent? Could it be biological washing powder?

I use a small amount of non bio washing powder with a spoonful of old fashioned washing soda. Wilkinsons sell it at about £1 a bag. Lasts ages.
Line dry then finish off with 5 minutes in the tumbler. Never any problems. Never use fabric softener as haven't found it necessary.
Hope one of these replies will give you the answer. Good luck.

I dry mine on a airer in the spare room, and they are quite soft.

No, I like 'em rough! I don't like towels rinsed with fabric softener.

Am I alone in liking a rough towel?

Don't use any fabric softener on towels or they won't dry you properly. I use Tesco own bio liquid to wash them and chuck them in the tumble dryer.I appreciate that you can't do the same, but if the towels dry naturally instead they need to dry slowly, ie. hot sun will make them like boards.As somebody has said, a windy day is the best time to get washing dry.No easy answer.

Nearly about? must learn to preview!

Should have added that I agree, a short tumble is the only answer for towels.

Aka just the mention of Jeyes fluid takes me back nearly about 55 years to my first job. Then we used it in the greenhouse for cleaning when my stepfather was alive.Is it still available?

I love the smell of bed linen and towels when they have been dried outside on the washing line.

I don't notice the vinegar smell. I use it on sports kit too to get rid of the sweaty smells.
Must invest in some spiky balls!!

But then I like the smell of Jeyes fluid too!

No Ana it's quite a pleasant, fresh smell IMO.

Tell him to bring his own towel if he doesn't like yours!

Thanks everyone for your comments it's much appreciated.
What an assortment of replies, it does seem that tumble drying may be the answer, problem is though I don't have one.

I normally wash towels at 40 on cotton wash.
I've never washed at 60.

I use water softener now we are in a hard water area, but when we lived in Derbyshire which is a soft water area they were still hard.

I might also try not using fabric softener.

and an extra rinse.

I'd originally thought it might have something to do with my old washer not rinsing well, but after I'd used the new one and they were the same that clearly couldn't have been the case.

I'm going to try the liquid detergent see if that makes a difference.
I don't want a towel that is so soft you can't dry yourself on it but what I would like is not to have my son commenting every time they come up to stay.

DH says towels should be washed on at least 60C to kill off any bacteria apparently.

I never use fabric softener but use the 'extra rinse' facility on my washing machine. If the weather is OK I put them in the tumble drier on hot for about 10-15 minutes which softens them up, then hang them outside. They get tumble dried if it's raining.

I find that the only way to soften towels after washing is to line dry in a stiff breeze. The only trouble with this is you may well have to run around the garden after them when they blow away. Otherwise a tumble drier is the answer.

jeanie99 - try using a detergent liquid instead of powder to wash your towels.

I also put about 1/3 of a cap of softenor in the final rinse but, like others, I tend to put them in the tumble dryer to really fluff them up. My son's girlfriend once washed my towels (we were on holiday) and she used powder, no softenor and dried them on the line. I joked with her that it was like drying myself with a Weetabix; she didn't find that in the least bit amusing

Aka, it doesn't smell like Dettol, does it?

I stopped using fabric conditioner years ago. It seemed to take months for the residue to leave my clothes but I do not have a problem. My towels are not fluffy soft but they are not like brillo pads. I do not have a tumble drier, no space.

I don't use fabric conditioner and I wash my towels on 40oC, but add a touch of Dettol Laudry to the final rinse. It smells nice, makes up for a coolish wash and they dry reasonably soft.

We have very soft water but it makes no difference, the towels are always hard and I don't have a tumble drier. My cousin however also pops her towels into her drier to soften them.

I recently bought very thick quality, classed as hotel towels and they are much softer after washing.

I don't think the hardness or softness of the water makes a difference. Our water is as soft as water comes but towels still go hard unless I do what jura suggests – finish them off in the dryer with dryer balls. It bashes the hardness out of them, but you only need a short tumble bash when they are almost dry already. I don't bother with vinegar.