Make my towels softer?

I’ve run towels in the wash with only vinegar, no soap, and that refreshes towels pretty well.

White vinegar will help eliminate the buildup that gets on the towels, making them fluffier and more absorbent. You may need to run it through several washes to get the full benefit, especially if you have been using commercial products over a long period of time

White vinegar will remove any residue left behind from commercial products which, overtime, build up giving you the exact opposite effect you were trying to achieve.

Here you go, the answer is white vinegar:

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/this-one-washing-trick-will-make-your-old-towels-feel-like-new/

During the final rinse of the laundry cycle, pour your cup of vinegar into the fabric softener dispenser. The smell of vinegar will wash out and your towels will be left fluffier than ever.

Yes, using white vinegar in the last rinse in your machine will result in much softer and absorbent towels. Others are right on with their facts about vinegar. You will be amazed at the absorbency change when you use the vinegar to reduce soap and softener buildup.

Here are some tips: https://turkishtowelcompany.com/how-do-i-keep-towels-soft/

Some people make dryer balls

https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=Dryer%20Balls

Some make reusable dryer "sheets" out of sponges

https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=Dryer%20sheets

I use dryer balls either purchased of make your own with wool yarn. I haven't used dryer sheets in over 20 years and have never used fabric softener. You can use tennis balls in the dryer as well but they can get noisy.

Barbara....It may very likely be your water that is causing the problem. Most well water is soft but public water systems usually are not...therefore you need to add a fabric softener or sheet.

Hi Barbara,

Could it be add Soda to the wash...............If you don't have fabric softener?

Add a cup of white vinegar to the rinse. Also using wool balls in the dryer. I use fabric softener and have never had an absorbency issue but many people say it will lessen it. I also use the wool dryer balls. My towels are softer then when I purchased them.

Long before dryer sheets were a thing, my grandmother relied on two very simple things. Add baking soda (aka bicarb) to the wash water & distilled white vinegar to the rinse water.

Do you remember in elementary school when someone did a science fair project on volcanoes? When you mix an alkaloid like baking soda & an acid like vinegar, the reaction can be powerful. In this case creating an aggressive foam that can power out dirt, body soil (greasy dead skin cells), & even mineral deposits from hard water.

It is a similar concept to comercial products like Oxiclean, but while they usually offgas oxygen, this combo releases carbon dioxide. Now, it may sound like producing O2 is better than CO2 when you do your laundry. After all, we need O2 to live. But they use a lot of less friendly chemicals to make those laundry additives, go through more electricity to run their factories, & plenty of fuel to transport it all. Baking soda & vinegar are reliable, have a lower environmental impact, and... they're CHEAPER.

Thank you so much! Going to try it now! (Now I know what to when it’s done in fridge!)

Vinegar ?rinse

Hi Barbara, hope this helps you out,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUZ4So0_3CQ

Easy, skip all the chemicals! In the wash, reduce the amount of detergent - instead of using fabric softener use plain old white vinegar instead. Then in the dryer, use felted wool dryer balls. Will take several runs through the laundry to get rid of all the chemical gunk in them. If you want to speed up the process, just soak them overnight in a tub of water and white vinegar. Then launder as above. Once the chemicals are all out, your towels will be soft, fluffy, and more absorbent than you ever imagined.

Hello there Barbara,

Use a rinse aid in the washing, like Lenor etc.