wash them in hot water and don't use any fabric softener. they will get scratchy. Me--I love soft towels!

A couple of years ago I bought some towels from BB&B out of curiosity. One set made from bamboo and one made from hemp. Both are courser/rougher than cotton, quite absorbent, and quite durable.

If you like scratchy towels - and I do - you need to buy cheaper towels. Not too cheap - think Targets better grade or medium-priced ones from BB&B. JCP has some good, cheap ones too. If you get really good Egyptian cotton they won't be scratchy for a long time.

I buy washcloths by the dozen to wash my face. I use them once then throw them in the wash. I like them scratchy. I bought some good ones on sale that are still too soft and nothing I do to abuse them seems to make them scratchy.

Buy Lands End's finest Supima towels, and wash on HOT water. Worked for us. (much to our di$may)

i'm with you. i hate the too-soft (completely non absorbent) plush "luxury" towels. i found the perfect towels (for me!) at home goods. they're a kind of waffle weave and i could tell by how they felt in the store that they were what i was looking for. they're not at all thin, but a very nice weight and they were cheap. really cheap. i think i paid $7 for each bath towel.

they're white and i wash them using the sanitary cycle.

kate, high quality towels aren't all non-absorbent. I have expensive towels purchased at Macy's that are VERY absorbent, AND very soft. I've seen some very soft towels that are quite affordable at Kohl's but not having owned them/washed them for months, I have no idea how soft they would remain over time.

I don't over-do with softener. too much softener will reduce absorbency

@ Dave: agreed! I never use fabric softener on my towels. Recently I was having a haircut and the towels were soooo soft. I commented on it and the stylist said, yes they are but they don't absorb well. I asked if they used fabric softener and she confirmed they did. I suggested they stop or cut back and see if it helps. I will ask next time if they did and for the results. But personally, I saw a big difference when I stopped using it on towels and cloths.

fabric softener? what's that?!
i never touch the stuff. ;-)

I always use FS on certain loads, including towels, and have no issues with absorbency, but the trick is not to use very much FS. I dilute it roughly 4 or 5 to one, and put in that diluted mixture up to the lower limit of the FS compartment of our Samsung FL. Some loads we DON'T use FS, such as biking clothes! I made the mistake the other day of putting in FS with bike shorts/shirts and realized the error of my ways when I took everything out of the dryer. What a mess. I had to rewash them all three times with a bit of detergent and some vinegar. Eventually, they came out fine, but I was worried I'd ruined them all as the feel was disgusting--like they were oily and the stuff stuck to my fingers when I handled the bike clothes for even a moment. I'm so glad a few rewashes fixed the problem.

I agree. A fluffy soft towel feels great to touch, but to dry? A not-so-soft towel does it better. If you can wash inside, and hang them outside = rough towel! :)

Wow; that's easy. What covington said.

My DH likes his towels "crunchy". I never use fabric softener on my towels. My grandmother used it so much that the water would just run across her towels so I learned early that softener and towels don't mix. When I put them in the dryer they fluff so they are still soft. When I hang them outside for a few hours to dry they get super crunchy. If you fold one in half it will stand up by itself on a tile floor! Now that is a tough towel

IKEA bath towels are the very best on earth for wonderful perfect towel; old fashion and out of this world

Barbara Read,

Which model Ikea towel are you referring to?

Jeff

I agree with Barbara about Ikea towels. My family prefers the Frajen towels.

I bought a couple of lovely IKEA towels, but found that they are not very absorbent. They said 100% cotton, but I wonder about that. Anyway, off they went to Goodwill.

I bought a towel in an open air market in Peru, not a hotel towel. This towel is rough and perfect for exfoliating the whole body. Can't find anything like it in the US. Walmart has huge packs of cheap washcloths for $3.49 that are rough and perfect for exfoliating. Unfortunately Walmart body towels are too soft. So you have to go to a third world country to find a rough towel. lol.

Or after washing hang on the line outdoors to dry. Dont use fabric softener. Should be rough enough to do the job.

I bought two sets in white at Target years ago. They were on clearance and are part sandpaper I think. Ha Ridiculously cheap price. Thought I would use them for this and that but actually liked them for showers.

I use them occasionally and the rough doesn't bother me. I grew up on line dried clothes and for me nothing beats a stiff towel to dry off with.

I have a set of about 12 white bath towels from Target. Think they must be about 7 years old now. I never expected them to last this long. Still snowy white and fluffy soft although the hems have come undone on a couple of them. I dont like a stiff scratchy towel. Give me soft and fluffy. LOL

Linen!

I got some nice thick but firm cotton (short loops) towels from Pottery Barn. They also have soft ones, so you have to be careful.

I like scratchy washcloths for exfoliation but soft bath towels. I buy white washcloths (bulk) at WM and my latest round of bath towels came from Sam's. The towels are absorbent on one side not as absorbent on the other.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/salviken-bath-towel-anthracite-60349342/

Thanks. I just ordered two of the aqua colored towels. Just recently replenished our bath towels in both bathrooms but these looked really interesting.

Barbara Read, thank you!

I love the Ikea Frajen towels but can't find them at Ikea or online anymore. Is the Salviken similar?

I stay at Motel 6 when I travel, just for their sandpaper-rough towels. Look for a wholesale website that sells these bulk economy/bleach-safe towels intended for hotels/gyms. When the product description only mentions how cheap they are to replace, and how bleach-friendly they are in removing stains (aka, no mention of softness), you know they're made for a-- errrr, rough motel crowd.

try a company called "rough linen" I bought my husband one last year in a bath sheet size and its his favorite, very absorbent but the roughness sort of polishes you skin

Alright, where to start, where to start. First, has anyone checked in on @dave? i need to know more about the bikeing clothes situation. and if he still has a samsung dryer. also @barbara read, love to see your thoughts on ikea towels stayed consistsnt but i would love and update to see if theyve stood the test of time. As far as @vermilliondesigns goes, i like how you think. cant say ive ever chosen my hotel based on its towels, im usually looking for the latest checkout times available, but this is smart. As far as rough towels go for the op, i would say to buy towels second hand. and cheap. sure some will eventually get holes or fray a bit on the edges but it wont be too soft or anything! but im always on the lookout for the perfect rough towel texture myself so i can make a blanket out of the material. happy to be a part of such a long lasting conversation :)

I just found this website called www.ruggedtowels.com and they sell rough towels specifically for this reason! I love them cause I have always hated soft towels but rugged towels are made rough and super absorbent. They are the best.