crunchy towels anyone?

[rainbowmoon]

In an effort to reduce our energy consumption, we have gone dryer free. (trying anyway, it's been almost 2 weeks! woohoo!) the only problem is my towels are CRUNCHY! Will vinegar in the final rinse soften them? any suggestions?

[A Mothers Love]

vinegar may help
hang them out on windy day & let the wind beat on them a little?
I can't wait to see what other posters say. I do put ours outside, but they always smell like smoke. all the people around here burn their wood stoves, sooooo smokey!!!!!!!

[rainbowmoon]

hmm. I tried that already. it was breezy the last time I dried towels..
yuck on the woodsmoke (I hate when it sticks to clothes and things,ick!)

[ekortering]

I afraid that line drying = crunchy towels. It's what I grew up with so I personally love it. Perhaps it will grow on you. You could try putting them in your dryer on air tumble (no heat) to see if that will soften them up.

[Abarat]

We line dry everything, and at first the towels were weird all crunchy, but I just kept line drying them and it seems like after a certain point it wasn't as bad. I know I've gotten used to it, but I do think the crunchiness has lessened over time. Plus I make my own laundry soap now, which may help some. I changed so many things in our lifestyle at once it's hard to say.

Now it really bothers me to have to use the dryer, I love everything on the line, even the jeans, which I thought I'd never get used to.
Plus I find our clothes stay in much better shape and I don't have to iron like I did.

[SoHappy]

I like crunchy towels, but if you don't, just toss them in the dryer for a minute or two at the end of drying. It'll soften them up and the energy consumption is minimal.

[rainbowmoon]

the thing is I unhooked the dryer. I am determined not to not re hook it up at all. (because I know myself and then I will get into the "just one load" mindset IYKWIM!) also I really want to see what the cost reduction is on the elctric bill with NO dryer use at all.

[Artichokie]

Is there something intrinsically bad about liquid fabric softner (which goes in the washer)? We use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products and are very happy with them.

[painefaria]

you can try hanging them together (two back to back) so they beat agains each other. I heard that people doing that for prefolds. I have never tried it. I love line dried clothes!!! I will wear "crunchy" clothes anyday as long as they smell like sunshine!!!

[phathui5]

I like my crunchy towels too. Think about it, you won't have to exfoliate

[pibblestiltskin@ma]

I find that mine lose the crunchiness after I've dried off once. Mine don't tend to be as crunchy as they used to be. I'm not sure if it has to do with conditions (hot and still vs cooler and windy) or the fact that I have been line drying for a long time - or perhaps I am just used to it. I find that if I do use a towel that is really soft it feels odd to me!

[queenjulie]

Originally Posted by MoreThanApplesauce

Is there something intrinsically bad about liquid fabric softner (which goes in the washer)? We use Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products and are very happy with them.

Liquid fabric softener is VERY bad for towels, cloth diapers, and anything else that is intended to absorb water. It coats fabric (that's how it makes fabric soft), which means towels and diapers are no longer able to absorb water (or at least, much less than they should).

[CariOfOz]

We Only hang our towels out and they're never too crunchy unless I leave them out thru the hottest part of the day. My trick is hang them out in the evening and bring them in about 10am (in the summer at least) then they're reasonably soft :

[oneKnight]

I LIKE crunchy towels, nothing else seems to dry me as well.

Maybe that's because I grew up with line-dried clothes. I don't particularly like crunchy jeans, but a well broke-in pair will soften up fast-enough.

[lightheart]

you will get used to it after a while. I forgot how dryer towels felt until after a week of rain I went to the laundrymat and dried clothes.... wow the towels were weird and I'm sure the lint trap at the laundrymat was full

jeans on the other hand, well they all tightened up in the waist and hiney so I like the line dried ones much better!

[North_Of_60]

Originally Posted by queenjulie

Liquid fabric softener is VERY bad for towels, cloth diapers, and anything else that is intended to absorb water. It coats fabric (that's how it makes fabric soft), which means towels and diapers are no longer able to absorb water (or at least, much less than they should).

Diapers and fabric softner? No way. But unless you're mopping up puddles of water with your towels it doesn't affect how well a towel dries you off after a shower, or how well it dries dishes. As least, not that I've noticed.

[Ambrose]

Line drying for us meant crunchy everything! Diapers, towels, underwear (ouch!), shirts and jeans. It was miserable. Now I line dry what I know I won't be wearing soon and then I'll take them in the bathroom with me when I take a hot shower... it softens them up, kinda like steam cleaning or something. : I know, crazy, but it helped get rid of wrinkles too....

[quelindo]

Giving the towels a good shake ("snapping" them) before you put them on the line helps.They'll be crispy when dry whatever you do, though. I try to think of it as bonus exfoliation, lol.

[weliveintheforest]

I almost never remember, but I find if I shake my towels (or any item) and then hang them back up when they are half dried it helps.

[Ruthla]

what if you line dried them, then put them in the dryer on "no heat" for 15 minutes or so to soften them up before putting them away?

That would still vastly reduce your energy consumption vs drying them on high heat all the way.