I have tried everything over the years to make my towels soft. First was the fabric softener and dryer sheets, then the baking soda and vinegar. Although I still use the vinegar, they were still scratchy. I searched the internet for solutions and found the answer.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
After I wash my towels and wash and dry my hands one time the towels get stiff after one use! What is the problem? I have a water softener and it still hasn't helped. What can I do?
Wash your towels without detergent to get out the residue, and then use half as much detergent as called for in future washes.
Did you know that detergent companies tell you to put in as much detergent as will dissolve in water? This is actually 50% more than you actually need to use.
I wash with detergent and a 1/2 c of baking soda and use 1 cup vinegar in the rinse. No problem with leftover suds and rough towels. they are more absorbent as well.
Vinegar is the best fabric softener!
I run an extra rinse cycle with 1/4 cup vinegar to remove the leftover detergent. My laundry is soft and smells great.
Love & Prayers,
Linda
How do you get towels soft? I live in the country and have a water softener. I have tried everything, vinegar, baking soda, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. Am I using to much or to little of something? They still come out scratchy.
The way I understand it, many towels are made rough by the use of fabric softener. I use vinegar in my softener dispenser like one of the other posters said.
Go to Walmart and buy a sleeve of tennis balls (3 to a pack) Put them in your dryer and tumble them with your towels (I use them in "all" my loads). Also make sure you "shake out" your wet laundry before you put it in the dryer (make it "crack!" in the air). You will find you need less fabric softener with the tennis balls and your clothes will be soft.
I haven't had this problem since I started doing the following:
1) Wash in warm water with your usual detergent making sure you are using the highest water level for your machine. Remember not to over-stuff. I wash two oversized towels and just a couple hand towels in one wash. You want the water to be able to flow through all your clothes!
2) My washer has an option for an extra rinse cycle. In the first rinse cycle I use white vinegar. The vinegar helps eliminate odor, sanitize and helps eliminate excess soap. In the second rinse cycle I use a small amount of liquid fabric softener with water. 1/4 cap rest water.
My towels come out of the dryer rough, not soft.
By Sandy
I move here to a deep well place and instantly my towels went like cardboard. I have a front load washer. We put a water softener in and it help with the soap not having to use as much but the towels are not as bad but still rough. I hate using fabric softener because it the towels aren't as absorbent but I have to but I use about 1/4-3rd of the fabric softener and it seems to work not bad. I tried it all. vinegar work a tiny bit but not much. Yes I did the hot water washing with all the way vinegar, washing soda, baking soda, nothing :) I tried them all. using the small amount of fabric softener works the best for me. Not ideal but until I move to a soft water place again I guess I'm stuck with it.
I thought the water softener would solve everything :) but it didn't. But I must say it 95% better than it was..
I never had this problem until I started using a front load machine. I am trying the baking soda and vinegar thing now. Seems to help some, but not like before.
I'm really sick of having hard scratchy towels. I have never used softener on them as that's supposed to stop them from absorbing water and I don't have a dryer so they are either dried inside on a rack or outside on the line. They weren't super cheap, just average.
Try rinsing using washing soda. It removes any excess soap which is what makes your towels hard. Dissolve in hot water.
I'm never without washing soda. I have washed poly filled doonas and they came out looking like new. Because it gets very hot here in Queensland I keep it in the fridge in a small bucket with a tight lid. Washing soda starts to melt at 35 degrees celsius.
You can use it as a rinse for any washing.
I have two wash cloths that always come out of the dryer feeling like bricks. The towels (same brand, color) are always nice and fluffy. These are in the same load.
By SAJ
