Home » Misc » Why do towels get stiff

Why do towels get stiff


How to Soften Towels

By

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette

Mary Marlowe Leverette is one of the industry's most highly-regarded housekeeping and fabric care experts, sharing her knowledge on efficient housekeeping, laundry, and textile conservation. She is also a Master Gardener with over 40 years' experience; writing for over 20 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 07/20/22

Reviewed by

Brandon Pleshek

Reviewed by Brandon Pleshek

Brandon Pleshek of Clean That Up! is a seasoned veteran of the cleaning industry with over 20 years of experience in commercial and residential cleaning. He is a member of The Spruce's Cleaning and Organizing Review Board

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

Fact checked by

Jillian Dara

Fact checked by Jillian Dara

Jillian is a freelance journalist with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. She is a writer and fact checker for TripSavvy, as well as a fact-checker for The Spruce.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Project Overview

Even the plushest towels can feel stiff and scratchy after a few months. It's because of how they're washed and dried, and if you have hard water, but with a little TLC, you can safely soften towels.

Washing towels in hard water leaves a build-up of minerals, as well as body soil, body oils, detergents, and chemicals on the fibers. Stripping all the gunk away is the best method for softening towels. Learn from the following steps how to soften towels and ways to prevent the problem from happening on future purchases.

What is Hard Water?

Hard water has high amounts of dissolved minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium. The higher the concentration of these minerals, the harder the water.

Equipment / Tools

Materials

How to Soften Towels
Detergent None
Water Temperature Warm or hot
Cycle Type Normal
Drying Cycle Medium heat or permanent press
Special Treatments Distilled vinegar, conditioned water

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

  1. Load the Washer With Towels

    Gather similarly colored towels and washcloths, and load them into the washer. Do not overload the washer because the towels need room to move in the washer drum.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  2. Select the Water Temperature and Cycle

    To remove body soil, detergent, and fabric softener build-up that is causing the problem, select the warm or hot water option. Set the cycle to normal wash.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena  

  3. Add Distilled White Vinegar and Wash as Usual

    If you have pre-loaded automatic detergent and fabric softener dispensers, disengage them for this load. Do not add any detergent or fabric softener. Instead, add two cups of distilled white vinegar to the washer drum. The vinegar will help strip away the residue left in the towels that is causing them to feel stiff.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

    Tip

    If you live in an area that has hard water and don't use a water-softening system, it will take more than vinegar to cut through the mineral deposits built-up in the fibers of your towels. Instead of vinegar, add one cup of household ammonia to the hot water wash. Do not add anything else. Combining other products with ammonia can cause toxic fumes.

  4. Load the Dryer Correctly and Choose the Correct Cycle

    As you remove the towels from the washer, give them a quick shake to help fluff the fibers before you toss them in the dryer. Choose a medium heat or permanent press setting to prevent over-drying the fibers. After loading the dryer, toss in several wool dryer balls if you have them. The balls will "beat" the towel fibers during the tumbling action, leaving them softer and fluffier. Give the towels another good shake as you remove them from the dryer before folding.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena 

    Tip

    If you choose to hang your freshly vinegar-washed towels on an outdoor clothesline or drying rack, they may still feel a bit stiff after drying. Give the dry towel a quick knead to help loosen fibers before folding.

  5. Repeat If Needed

    If the residue is particularly heavy and the towels have not returned to a soft state, repeat the steps.

    The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Tips to Keep Your Towels Softer Longer

The 11 Best Bath Towels of 2022 from Soft to Luxury Options

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Household Cleaners. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

How to soften towels and keep them soft – for luxury every day

(Image credit: Future / Davide Lovatti)

Knowing how to soften towels will allow you to create the wonderful feel they had when they were brand new, restoring the pile that spells luxury after a bath or shower.

Regular washing and drying can make the fibers of towels stiff and scratchy, but knowing which washing temperatures to use, how to load the washing machine, and which products to opt for can restore softness to towels, and keep them that way.  

Good laundry room ideas will create a space with everything you need to soften towels and keep them soft for a spa feel at home, and our guide will give you the lowdown.

How to soften towels and keep them soft

Knowing how to soften towels that are no longer a pleasure to use and the methods for retaining their fluffiness will make them kinder on the whole family’s skin. Do bear in mind also that learning how to use towels correctly and buying good quality versions in the first place is important. 

‘Choose high quality cotton towels to provide absorbency, durability and that coveted cozy texture,' says Lucy Ackroyd, head of design at Christy , inventors of the towel as we know it today. 

'The higher the weight, the more opulent they will feel. I would suggest choosing a towel with a weight of at least 500gsm (grams per sq metre) for the ultimate luxury experience.   

'The most important factor for luxuriously soft towels is the yarn used and you ideally want a high quality cotton spun from long silky fibers. This is why yarns like Egyptian cotton and Supima cotton are so sought after as they guarantee long fibers and, therefore, high quality.   

1. Soften towels with vinegar

(Image credit: Future / Carolyn Barber)

The expert-recommended way to soften towels that have become scratchy is to use vinegar. ‘Throw a cup of white vinegar in your next wash,’ advises textiles expert and CEO of New Sega Home, Brian Delp.

The towels have likely become stiff and scratchy because of the use of fabric softener. While adding this to the wash might seem like a sound idea, it actually has an adverse effect on towels. ‘The fabric softener can actually build up residue over time. This prevents their absorbency and can cause them to dry out as well as preventing their natural softening from use,’ Brian explains.

Don’t worry if this treatment doesn’t work after just one wash. ‘Depending on how extensive the buildup is, you may have to repeat this step,’ he says.

2.

Allow time to soften towels

Fabrics soften over time, and towels are no different, so be patient. ‘Your favorite worn-out T-shirt wasn’t as soft on day one as it is today,’ says Brian Delp. ‘Assuming that your towels are cotton, linen, or some other natural fiber, they will get softer with each wash.’

3. How to use the washing machine to keep towels soft

In order to keep them soft, it’s important to wash towels the right way. The general rule? ‘Make sure to wash your towels separately to your other laundry to avoid any color or fibers transferring on to your beautiful pristine towels,’ says Lucy Ackroyd. 

Want to wash towels with clothes or wash sheets and towels together? It is possible to create a mixed load if you need to in order to save energy, but to keep towels at their fluffiest, keeping them separate is the best strategy.

Bear in mind, too, that new towels shouldn’t be washed with those you already own. ‘Mixing brand new and seasoned towels can lead to the transfer of color between different fabrics,’ says Lily Cameron, cleaning supervisor at Fantastic Cleaners .

To keep towels soft, it’s also crucial not to overload the washing machine. ‘The towels need plenty of room within the drum to breathe and circulate, allowing them to be rinsed and fluffed up properly,’ says Lucy. ‘If you try to stuff too many in, you’ll end up with a clumped-together heap with moisture pockets throughout, leading to scratchy, stiff towels.’

How much is too much? ‘A typical front-loading washing machine can hold around seven bath towels, and a top-loading machine can hold around 10,’ says Bonnie Fisher of Better World Apparel , which works to bring awareness about increasing products’ life cycles.

4. Use the right amount of detergent

Cleaning tips on keeping towels soft include not adding too much detergent to the wash, which can mean it’s not thoroughly removed during the rinse cycle. ‘Cut back on your detergent,’ says Jessica Samson from Maids.com . ‘Using too much detergent can stiffen your towels up and take away their softness.’

To keep towels fluffy, Lucy Ackroyd is a fan of eucalyptus-based detergent. ‘Not only will this leave them smelling super fresh, the eucalyptus will also protect the fibers of the towel and ensure the colors stay bright and fresh,’ she says.

Thinking of using bleach? ‘Yes, bleach can remove the stains on white towels, but it can also make the colors fade and even cause permanent damage to the fabrics, destroying the towels,’ says Lily Cameron.

5. Skip the fabric softener

Along with too much detergent, as we noted above, fabric softener can make towels scratchy so skip it entirely or cut back to keep towels feeling soft. 

‘If you are using a fabric softener, only use a small amount as overuse of softeners and conditioners will build up over time, leaving towels feeling slick and non-absorbent,’ says Lucy Ackroyd.

6. Perfect the wash temperature 

For soft, fluffy towels, pay attention to the wash temperature, checking the laundry symbols on the labels of all towels before they go into the machine. ‘Each towel is different and requires different treatment,’ says Jessica Samson. ‘Be sure to read the label before washing so that you can maximize the effectiveness of the wash and prevent ruining the towel.’

7. Shake towels out to maintain softness

(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)

Shaking your towels is a simple, quick step in your washing routine that can have a huge impact on their softness.

'First, before you put your towels in the washing machine, give them a good shake. This will open up the fibers slightly, allowing the detergent to sink inside every pore and make them super clean,’ says Lucy Ackroyd.

Shake again for maximum softness. ‘At the end of the drying cycle, or before hanging them outside if you are line drying, shake the towels a second time,’ says Lucy. ‘The act of shaking will loosen the fibers of the fabric, making your towels super plush and fluffy.’

8. Mix up your drying methods 

(Image credit: Future / Mark Luscombe-Whyte)

To keep towels soft don’t dry them on radiators if you heat your home this way; this will lead to a rough finish, exactly what you are trying to avoid.

‘Alternate between tumble drying and line drying,’ advises Lucy Ackroyd. ‘The best way to get super fluffy towels is tumble drying immediately after a wash, however overuse can make the fabric wear down over time.  

'To combat the effect of the tumble dryer, line dry your towels occasionally. Not only does line drying leave your towels with a fresh natural scent, but the sunlight can also have a bleaching effect which is perfect if you have white towels. The UV rays can even help kill bacteria.’

9. Store for success 

(Image credit: Future / Emma Lewis)

Once you’ve perfected the washing and drying routine, the final step in keeping towels soft is storing them correctly. When thinking about how to design a bathroom, factor in suitable storage for towels, such as shelving or cabinets. Or perhaps even a towel rack or rail.

To store, you can roll towels, which can be space saving, or fold towels. ‘Rather than folding your towels one on top of the other, as many people do, try neatly folding them side by side instead,’ suggests Lucy Ackroyd. ‘This simple storage hack will prevent the bottom towels from being crushed which can lead to them losing that plush, full effect that you have achieved.  

‘If you prefer to store your towels on a towel rack or ladder shelf, you should also avoid placing them on top of each other. Again, this will flatten the bottom ones, leaving them stiff and flat.’

Add a few drops of lavender or other essential oil to towels before storing to keep them smelling gorgeous.

Why are my towels hard and scratchy?

A combination of factors makes towels hard and scratchy, including the use of fabric softeners, and an excess of detergent. But another reason could be the hard water in your area. ‘Hard water is water that contains minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which makes cleaning your clothes more difficult,’ explains Corey Trojanowski of ARS/Rescue Rooter . And the same goes for towels.

A water softener can help – and prevent limescale buildup in the washing machine and other appliances – but otherwise, try using a cup of white vinegar in the washing machine to soften towels.

How do you soften towels after line drying?

To soften towels after line drying, put them into the dryer briefly. ‘We suggest tossing them in the dryer for a quick “no-heat” fluff if they feel a little stiff,’ says Bonnie Fisher. This will still bring the benefits of line drying and reduces energy bills compared to a full drying cycle. 

Otherwise, you actually need to take action before putting the towels on the line. Shake them first, which will keep the towels softer by loosening the fibers before they begin drying.

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.

With contributions from

Why are towels hard after washing in the machine and how to fix it?


Soft and fluffy terry clothes are an indispensable component of home comfort. Often, housewives wonder why, after washing, towels become hard and rough to the touch? How to avoid such troubles?

Terry products can become stiff for several reasons. What needs to be done so that after washing they remain soft and fluffy and how to return the already coarsened fabric to its original qualities?

Reasons why towels become hard

The fabric can become rough and unpleasant to the touch in both machine and hand washing. True, it is much easier to ruin a towel when washing in a machine - after all, manual processing cleans the material more carefully, and your hands will not allow you to use too hot water and low-quality powders.

The deterioration of the quality of terry clothes occurs for several reasons.

So how do you wash terrycloth clothes so as not to impair their original properties?

Fabric softener and liquid detergent will prevent damage to towels

How to wash towels to keep them soft?

To keep your towels soft and fluffy after washing, treat them with care. Here are some secrets for handling terry products. Put them into practice - and your towels and bathrobes will never become hard and rough.

Attention!

Terry towels must not be boiled. To remove stubborn dirt, soak overnight in double the amount of detergent and wash in the morning.

To ensure optimal washing conditions, buy special plastic balls from the store. They are loaded into the drum of the machine along with the laundry, and during the washing process they mechanically break the terry fibers, making the towel again soft and delicate to the touch.

Spin mode

When using the delicate wash cycle, don't forget to spin. Terry products are not recommended to wring out at high speeds of the drum. The maximum you can set is 500 rpm. If you have no problems with drying and you are sure that the towels will not rot due to slow drying, then use the 300-350 rpm setting.

It is possible not to wring out the towel at all. Use no spin cycles or programs for wool. After the end of the washing process, remove the clothes from the machine, wring out lightly and hang to drain. The fabric washed in this way will be softer and fluffier.

Proper drying

Another important point is the proper drying of terry products.

As mentioned above, ironing towels is not recommended. But if such a need nevertheless arose, use the steaming mode at a temperature not exceeding 150 ° C. It is also good to use the vertical steam function.

How to make a towel soft again?

What about old clothes or towels that suddenly become hard and rough? The following recipes will help return the mahr to its former softness.

And finally, a few more tips for caring for terry towels.

So, terry towels are quite unpretentious products, but they require certain rules of washing and drying. Do not wash them at high temperatures, use a delicate wash, use mild detergents. Do not tumble dry or iron. By following these simple recommendations, your towels will always remain soft and gentle.

What to do if the towels become hard?

We often blame the manufacturer for the fact that bath textiles become rigid. This is possible, but only with low quality textiles. But most often the reason for the rigidity of towels is washing. How to properly care for terry textiles so that it remains soft and voluminous all the time?

Types and raw materials of terry textiles

He is so cozy, soft, that it is impossible not to love him! These are thousands of fibers on a thin basis from natural raw materials. Yes, it is from natural, because bath textiles should absorb and pass air well and synthetic material with such properties is not yet available. And if you see a few percent synthetics in the composition on the label, it is most likely contained in the basis of the fabric. This is done to strengthen the material and facilitate its care. The pile itself of high-quality textiles is made only from natural raw materials:

Tencel is a fiber of eucalyptus that has been softened and industrially processed. It produces the softest, silkiest and shiniest bath textiles. There are two disadvantages - high price and short service life. Often such towels are bought for babies, but they only last a couple of years, since the fiber is very wiped off.

Laziness is our native raw material with many useful properties. It perfectly absorbs, does not cause allergies, inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and washing at high temperatures only makes it better. Disadvantages: inferior in softness to other types of natural raw materials and more expensive than cotton or bamboo.


Bamboo is an excellent raw material in every respect. Environmentally friendly, processed and softened fiber is two and a half times more hygroscopic than cotton and softer. Plus - 100% bamboo inhibits fungus and bacteria. But when buying a bamboo towel, you do not get the usual voluminous textiles and the product “climbs” when washed. Therefore, many manufacturers add cotton to bamboo.

The most widespread in the Russian (and world) textile market is cotton. Its advantages:

More than 60% of terry textiles are made from it:

What raw materials should textiles be purchased from so that it does not become rigid? Regardless, the reason is not in the raw material, and not even in the area and density of the textile, although it must be recognized that denser products with low pile often become rough than less dense, high pile. And rarely stiffness is characteristic of large sheets, more often small products.

Reasons

Sooner or later you will find that terry towels have lost volume. It cannot be otherwise, because the villi, for which everyone loves cozy textiles so much, stick together over time and, as it were, bend down at the base. “Forces” them to do this with an unstretched and poorly rinsed laundry detergent.


It is usually a general purpose powder that does not dissolve well. So there are three reasons:

And the first thing we need to do is check the hardness of the water. Most likely, you already know her:

If you have a humidifier, hard water causes furniture, flowers, and appliances to develop a white residue that is very difficult to clean off. But you breathe this air ...

Washing powder dissolves very poorly in hard water and rinses out very poorly when washing even from smooth fabrics, making terry fibers hard and heavy.

To soften use:

When washing terry towels, use:

Gels dissolve better in water and rinse out. Silicone prevents clumping of the villi. But if there is no such rinse aid on sale, it can be replaced with a glass of vinegar solution in a 1: 1 ratio. A water-vinegar solution is added when rinsing directly into the drum of the washing machine.

How to restore the original view?

Is it possible to provide "ambulance" to a hard towel? Yes. Terrycloths do not need to be ironed, but in such cases, the steam and high ironing temperature will help soften and lift the villi.


There are also special sprays for softening home textiles on sale, they can also help.

How to wash towels?

First of all, you need to properly sort things and put them in the drum. Wash terry and regular textiles separately. Fasten zippers, buttons, - in general, eliminate everything that can provoke puffs.