Washed towels in the sun and now like sandpaper.

Me too - not just you. Dry better.
However a quick steam with an iron if they're really cardboardy would seem justified.

My environmental credentials are nothing to write home about, but I've never used a tumble drier (except in laundrettes) & proud of it.

Desdemona

I absolutely love a rough towel, me.

So do I , they seem more absorbent and exfoliant.

I prefer rough towels but am sad enough to want soft towels when I have guests staying. Thankfully guests are few and far between these days.

I love the summer or nice weather when I can hang out towels and they dry hard (sandpaper DH says). They dry you so much better.

I quite like them crusty from being outside
They smell lovely

Mine go into the tumble dryer with three or four dryer balls. My DH can't stand hard towels.

I always tumble dry towels, I have tried so many remedies but line dried towels are always hard.

Lovetopaint037

What can I do to remedy this?
I washed them with vinegar in the middle drawer. I don’t want to use fabric softener in the drawer. All detergent goes straight into machine. Should I wash them without detergent and just vinegar and dry them indoors which is a shame as the sun helps to kill bacteria. I only have a small tumble dryer and use that as little as possible. Any ideas would be welcome. Thank you.🤩

as they are already dry, just give them a few minutes in the tumble dryer on cold/no heat.

If you are a regular user of fabric softener in your drier, make sure to wash the filter on a regular basis after removing the "fluff". Volatile chemicals can coat the mesh causing it to clog. It just needs to be rinsed in water and dried before replacement.

Never use a tumble dryer, if towels are little hard I prefer them that way. My daughter didn't though.

You can buy special towel softener at Lakeland and through Amazon. I use this as well as the drier. Keeps my towels beautifully soft.

I have had to resort to rubbing the towels surfaces together when dry to soften them. I have tried lots of remedies but I live in a hard water area and they are all a waste of money.

I’m with Dylis just give them a rub, if you can ‘crack’ them when they are wet….a really good shake/flap, that helps too.

Tumble drier for me

I love a scratchy towel

My brother in law told his wife to throw all their towels out and buy new ones because they had become too rough .
I told her to tumble dry them for ten minutes and they would be fine . He thought she had bought new towels 😂.

Like other GNs here, I'd put "stiff" towels to finish off in the tumble dryer for a few minutes. IMO this can really make a difference and it's much less use of the dryer.

tumble dry them when almost dry and spray with diluted fabric conditioner, or they will always be like sandpaper

Good afternoon ladies, I put my towels on the line to dry( hopefully assisted by a stiff breeze) Whilst they are still damp I put them in the tumble dryer with 2 minky balls ( look like spiky tennis balls) for approximately 20 minutes resulting in soft towels . The heater is only on for 10 minutes ,low setting, then switches itself off for the remaining 10 minutes .
Minky balls available from Boyes, B and M or any hardware store and supermarket


Never use fabric softener or vinegar

I never use fabric softener with towels as it makes them more difficult to use to dry with. Always use tumbler dryer to dry them to stop them getting hard.

A tip I received from an auntie years ago is to give them a right good shake before putting them on the line. Separates the fibres, less cardboardy outcome. I do this but must admit I like to put in dryer whilst still slightly damp for a short tumble.

TheSunRisesInTheEast

Iron the towels with a hot iron, that will help to soften them 🙂.

Personally, I like a towel like sandpaper, it's good for exfoliating the skin 😂.

Me too.

While the pollen count is high my hayfever forces me to dry towels indoors with a
short spell in the tumble dryer to keep them fluffy.

Vinegar in a washing machine.?
No thank you.

I much prefer a fragrant conditioner.
If you wash on a 60c they will not be slimy.
Well, mine aren’t anyway.

I pop mine in the tumble dryer for 10 minutes when I take them off the line. Works for me.