How to get soft, fluffy towels

With repeated washing, towels can lose their softness and become hard and crispy. 

If getting dry on a scratchy towel sounds all too familiar, we've spoken with experts to find out what causes it and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.

Plus, we've tried the internet's favourite fluffy towels hack – white vinegar – to see whether or not it really can help soften and revive your towels, or is more likely to wreck your washing machine.

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Why do towels lose their fluffiness?

We put this question to Dr Primrose Freestone, Associate Professor in Clinical Microbiology at the University of Leicester: 'Most towels are made of cotton, which is a natural fibre composed of many tiny cotton filaments. 

'What happens to these interlocking cotton filament structures during washing determines if your towels stay soft and fluffy, or if they feel hard and scratchy. Detergent and fabric softener can, over time, deposit a waxy residue on the cotton fibres.'  

This build-up makes towels feel stiff and greasy, and leads to loss of fluffiness. 

'With repeat washing, most towels will lose their softness in the end, although Egyptian cotton towels (often more expensive) tend to stay softer for longer,' Dr Freestone continues. This is because the cotton fibre layers are more concentric and ordered. 

'However, there are ways to minimise hardening of all towel types.'

How to wash your towels properly

Wash them at the right temperature

The temperature at which you should wash them depends on how they've been used. Your default may be to always wash at 60°C, but this isn't always necessary. Some bacterial spores and viruses are, in any case, resistant to being washed at 60°C. 

To find out what temperature to wash your laundry at to stop it smelling and keep it clean, head to our washing machine temperature guide.

Buying a good detergent, which will remove (rather than destroy) bacteria and viruses is therefore key. Our laundry detergent reviews reveal the best. 

Don't overdo the detergent

You might think that using more will get your towels extra-clean, but residue build-ups, making it harder and harder for the detergent to get into the fibres to do their job with every wash.

Glugging in loads of detergent also wastes money and over-washes your items – which could shorten their lifespan. It's also bad for the environment, as you're adding more chemicals to our waterways, and getting through more product and more packaging than you need to. 

Dr Freestone recommends reducing your detergent use by up to a third. She also advises following up with a thorough cold-water rinse to reduce detergent build up and help the cotton fibres regain their normal shape. 

A good washing machine will rinse your detergent away without needing an extra rinse cycle – discover the washing machines that score at least four out of five for rinsing efficiency.

Don't use fabric softener

Should you use fabric softener on towels? This is a hotly debated topic, but no, you shouldn't. Fabric softeners work by creating a layer of electronically charged chemical compounds, usually containing silicones and ammonium compounds. 

This coating makes fabrics feel softer. But the coating build-up will eventually leave your towels feeling crispy, block detergent from cleaning the fabric properly, and prevent water from penetrating the towel fibres, meaning they will absorb water less well, and dry less well over time.

For further advice on nailing the laundry, read how to wash clothes, towels and bedding

How to get towels fluffy again

Remove any detergent or softener build up

White vinegar can help dissolve the detergent and hard water deposits left on clothes and towels, but don't put it in your washing machine. If you want to go down this route (more on how we found it later), soak them in vinegar then rinse them before putting them in the washing machine. 

If your towels are cheap quality or you've had them a very long time, there may be nothing you can do to revive them. If that's the case, don't just bin them: repurpose them for DIY or cleaning rags, or donate them to a local textile recycling facility.

What to do if you live in a hard water area

Hard water is high in minerals such as magnesium and calcium, which leave behind residues on the towel fibres. But distilled or white vinegar can help.

'These alkaline deposits can be neutralised by the acidic properties of vinegar, which contains acetic acid,' says Jus Rai, scientific advisor at Which?. 'Once they’re broken down and have been rinsed away, the fibres are no longer stuck together, so can move freely resulting in softer and fluffier towels.'

Adding baking soda to laundry loads is something we've seen recommended online, but the British Skin Foundation (BSF) has warned that baking soda can irritate the skin and lead to underarm rashes, redness and burning. Many people don't know they're sensitive to baking soda until they start using it in this way. 

If you're struggling with hard water, a water softener could be a savvy investment. Discover how to buy the best water softener.

Use a tumble dryer if you have one

'Tumble drying your towels on a low temperature setting can help to keep towels soft,' says Dr Freestone. Not too hot though, as high heat can damage the cotton fibres.

If it's warm and breezy outside, you should get similar results by hanging them on the washing line. But we've found that it's hard to beat tumble-dried towels, so if you're conscious of running up your energy bills, hang them out until they're nearly dry, then pop them in the dryer for 10 minutes to help soften up the fibres.

If you need to dry your towels indoors on a clothes horse, Dr Freestone advises against drying them too near radiators, as the heat may damage the cotton fibres, causing them to clump. This may contribute to hardening the towel as it dries.

Thinking of buying a tumble dryer? Discover the best tumble dryers according to our tests, as well as advice on the different types, running costs and more.

Give your towels a good shake  

Whichever method of drying you adopt, you could try giving your towels a good shake to help fluff them up. 

'When your machine wash is finished, remove the towels immediately, give them a shake to help reshape the cotton fibres and start the drying,' says Dr Freestone.

This won't always work – your towels may be too far gone – but Which? members told us they found this hack to be helpful. In a recent Facebook poll, we asked members how they get their towels soft, many said vigorously shaking them helps fluff up the pile, making their towels feel fluffier.

If you're obliged to do so, here's the best and cheapest way to dry clothes indoors

Can you get fluffy towels without a tumble dryer?

Yes, although it's not guaranteed. 

Rebecca Jakeman, Senior Writer/Researcher and laundry expert, tried the shaking and white vinegar hacks to get her towels fluffy again without using a tumble dryer, but was disappointed by the results.

'To find out if I could achieve perfect fluffiness without my towels taking up vital washer-dryer time, I first tried the towel shaking hack without adding any white vinegar. Then I used the method most commonly recommended by our members, which is to add white vinegar to the wash along with my usual detergent. Do be aware that manufacturers advise against adding vinegar directly to washing machines or washer-dryers, as it could damage the rubber seals and hoses over time. But I decided to take the risk as a one-off. Here's what I did:

Experiment one

• I washed two identical towels as usual, on the cottons 40°C cycle with my usual washing capsules. I gave them an extra spin at the end. 
• I hung one outside on the line, and the other indoors on a clothes horse, spreading it out flat across the top rather than draping it over a bar (this is supposed to help the moisture evaporate quicker, helping to reduce crispiness). I shook the towel on the airer vigorously at hourly intervals to loosen the fibres. 
• The towel on the line outside dried much more quickly than the one indoors. But, sadly, my shaking was in vain – I didn't notice too much difference in fluffiness between the two towels.

Experiment two

• I used the same washing cycle and detergent as experiment one, then added 250ml white vinegar to the detergent drawer.
• I hung one towel out on the washing line and the other indoors again, shaking the indoor towel every hour until it was dry.
• This time, the one that dried flat on the clothes horse inside was a bit fluffier, but the differences were minimal. 

Perhaps I’ll notice some more changes over time, but for now I’ll remain a firm advocate of a quick tumble in the dryer once your towels are mostly dry to keep them at their best. Going forwards, I won't be pouring vinegar into my washer-dryer. But I will occasionally soak them in vinegar to get rid of stains and odours, making sure I give them a good rinse before washing them.'

Discover the best and worst laundry detergents for getting rid of stains and keeping clothes fresh

Our laundry editor, Victoria Purcell, also annoyed by her crispy towels, tried a more intensive method using white vinegar, and got slightly better results.

'There’s no room for a tumble dryer in my compact two-bed flat. I don't have a garden to hang a washing line, either. So I was disappointed to hear the results of Rebecca's at-home experiment. Determined to find a way to get my crispy towels soft again while drying them indoors, I decided to try a different approach. I buy white vinegar in big five litre cartons because I use it to tackle limescale, pre-treat stains, and to clean the carpet when the cat throws up on it. So I had plenty to spare for this very unscientific experiment. 

Here's what I did:

• I put my big, crispy bath sheets into the bathtub, ran just enough water to cover them and added two litres of white vinegar. I added cupful of baking soda too, to help counteract the effects of hard water. I stirred it all up and left it to soak for an hour.
• I rinsed them off and put them in the washing machine with another spoonful of baking soda in the detergent compartment, plus a capful of white vinegar in the fabric softener slot. This is where I departed from Which? advice, as putting white vinegar in your washing machine can corrode the rubber and plastic parts. Using baking soda like this also isn't advised, as we warned earlier. But just this once, I thought, desperate to get results. 
• I put them on a cottons 40°C wash with no detergent and no fabric softener. 
• When finished, I gave them a vigorous shake (note that, with big bath sheets, this is really, really hard work). 
• I laid them flat on my heated clothes airer so that more of the towel is in contact with the warm bars, and also to maximise the surface area for moisture to evaporate off quicker. I left the heated airer on for two hours, then turned it off and let them air dry for another couple of hours. 
• I gave the towels another couple of vigorous shakes during the drying process.

The results? They did actually feel softer. Not new-towel soft by any stretch of the imagination, but better. Would I do it again? Maybe occasionally, to prep for visitors at Christmas, say. But certainly not as a regular thing. It took me the best part of a day, made my flat stink and made my arms ache. Plus I went against the wisdom of Which? scientists and appliance manufacturers putting white vinegar directly into my washing machine. That bit, I won't be repeating. If I had to choose between fluffy towels and a machine that lasts, I’d go for the latter every time.'

For useful tips on getting the most out of your machine with every wash, read 10 things I'd never do as a laundry expert

What to look for when buying towels

If your towels are no longer getting the job done, it may be time to buy new ones. 

When buying new towels, Dr Freestone advises that the quality of cotton in the towel has a major influence on how long it stays soft. Egyptian cotton fibres are more aligned, and so Egyptian cotton towels are more likely to stay fluffy, assuming they're well looked-after. 

A towels GSM (grams per square metre) rating also matters when it comes to fluffiness. Denser cotton towels (with more layers of fibres) are also more likely to retain their structure and stay fluffy. 

A towel with a higher GSM will be denser, thicker and more absorbent. A towel with a lower GSM (300-400 GSM) will dry more quickly, so may be ideal for a towel you take to the gym. A 400-600 GSM towel (medium weight) would be more suitable for a bath towel or guest towel. A 600 GSM+ towel will be feel dense, heavy and luxurious but will take longer to dry. Bamboo towels are also soft and absorbent. 

It's an area where you get what you pay for, and more expensive towels are likely to be softer. But whether or not softness is something you want to pay a lot for depends very much on personal preference.

'I personally would not pay more than £10 for a towel,' said Dr Freestone, 'as I don’t mind losing softness and like rough towels as they exfoliate dead skin cells more effectively.'

Here are some towels from popular retailers – note that we haven't tested them.