In my opinion you need to start with really good, soft towels. Beyond that, I use vinegar in the rinse cycle which helps get all of the residual soap out. I also dry the towels on extra-low to give them more time to tumble and I use tennis balls in the dryer which helps "fluff" the towels as they dry. They are not as soft as using fabric softener but they absorb well and feel good.

I suggest using Downy Free & Clear -- the scented products have an additional ingredient to maintain the scent which makes the laundry feel waxy. Also dry your towels on low heat, you want a tiny bit of residual moisture in the towels when you fold and put them away.

Liquid detergent
Dryer sheets

Soft water in the machine. Plus Downy Free & Clear in the rinse...at 1/3 -1/2 the recommended dose. Dryer sheets are fine but don't do quite as well. Any/all of the fabric softeners will reduce absorbancy of the towels, however.

Soft towels, as long as they go in the dryer but aren't overdried they should be good, though it does depend on the dryer. On the POS Hotpoint-Ariston we had for 2/3 months, the towels would be cardboard stiff still, though not as bad as if they'd been on the line, whereas our new Miele leaves them really fluffy without the need for fabric softener.

For all other laundry, a capful of fabric softener delivers the right amount of softness. I messed around using vinegarbefore but it doesn't work as well as softener and made everything stink of vinegar whereas fabric softener gives a nice, pleasant fragrance to the load and keeps laundry fresher.

Jon

Powder detergent
Liquid softener

Any reason for another mind change of yours, kenmorewasher?

I recently purchased a FLW, (used a TLW for years), and the one so far) drawback is that my whole laundry, towels et al, don't come close to the softness I got when I used a TLW and I only used laundry detergent and a little water softener. Now, I use the least amount of recommended detergent and a little Calgon in my FLW, and the softness level has been very disappointing. I even added an extra rinse but hasn't helped. Is this what I can expect from my new machine. Maybe I need to rethink my purchase.

Chipster, you are not the first person to talk about difference in clothing softness being less with a FL.

Which makes me wonder: exactly what DOES make clothes feel soft? If you eliminate LFS (which I havenÂt used in years) IÂm beginning to suspect that dryer temperature and, (perhaps more importantly) wet tumbling in the dryer has more effect than I suspected. Maybe it all comes down to steam in the dryer.

I have verified for myself that dryer temperature does makes a very noticeable difference in softness. A load of jeans dried on the very lowest dryer temperature (Delicate) comes out much, much softer than jeans dried on a higher temperature setting. Same goes for knit polo shirts and T-shirts, or just about any type of load.

When I first got my FL, I used the highest dryer temp settings because that's what I was used to doing with my old TL. However, the clothes come out of the FL so much drier to start with that the highest dryer temp dried the clothing so fast that wrinkles were set in.

When I reduced the temperature setting, the wrinkling was eliminated. My theory is that wrinkles are worked out of the clothing during the time in the dryer that the clothing is both warm and damp and being tumbled.

Now I suspect that the warm, damp tumbling period in the dryer has quite a lot to do with softness.

With a TL, the clothing comes out so wet (comparatively), that, even on the highest dryer temperature setting, the clothing is going to have a much longer period of warm, damp tumbling compared to FL-washed clothing, even when you dry the FL-washed clothing on the lowest dryer temp.

To think of it another way, TL-washed clothing has a longer steam bath in the dryer than FL-washed clothing.

CMC
Just a theory.

CMC - I think you're right there, especially when you consider the fact that line dried laundry is never as soft as tumble dried laundry regardless of the washer or presence of softener. So softness is probably attributed more to the method of drying than the washer itself.

Plus, with low temperatures, with the fast spin from frontloaders you wouldn't extend the drying time that much.

Jon

I realized after reading through these that I dry towels on medium high or high heat so I am going to cut that back to medium or delicate and see what happens.
All other loads I dry on delicate so I don't know why I am killing the towels.
I guess I figure the electric bill will be over the top of I do heavy towels on delicate and have the dryer going all day. But I am going to try it.

Powder detergent and liquid softener is the old fashioned alternative.
Liquid detergent and dryer sheets is the modern alternative.

Yo, kenmorewasher...seems to me you're all over the map.

"Liquid detergent; Dryer sheets"
"Powder detergent; Liquid softener"

May I ask for some clarity? What are you suggesting and why?

I personally prefer liquid detergent and dryer sheets because they are easier to use and not as messy.

Would have appreciated more but accept brevity in lieu of clarity.

I use the clothes line to dry my clothes, except for towels, and as stated earlier, they are not as soft as when they were washed in a TL and I didn't use any fabric softener when washing in the TL. I know I am not the first to talk about it but I sure would like my clothes for feel as soft as they used to feel (minus getting a TL machine). I think there are a number of people who feel the same way. Any other theories about why there is such a difference? I would like to avoid using FS in the wash, if possible.

All laundry benefits if you get all the soap out. Try putting your towels into the washer with NO detergent. If you get suds...you are not rinsing adequately and/or are using too much detergent.

Rather than add something that sticks to the fibers, giving a pseudo-softness, try using a water softener in your rinse water (Calgon, for instance) to aid in removing soap scum.

Dry at medium-high heat. I only use a dryer sheet to prevent "clinging" in a mixed load.

My towels feel the same coming from my present FL as they did when I used a TL. I prefer the FL for superior cleaning and greater water removal via the spin.

I notice some difference with electric vs gas dryers. Electrics have "cooked" the laundry more frequently, but that may be due to the particular dryers I've used rather than more gentle heat via gas.

1. Purchase high-quality cotton towels, such as Egyptian Cotton, to begin with. Choose loop pile over cut pile. Combed cotton also makes it extra soft. Pima or Supima cotton is second best after Egyptian.

2. I never use softener on anything, but use white distilled vinegar in the rinse.

3. I use very little soap/detergent when laundering towels, and normally use homemade liquid soap (a combination of liquid Castile Soap, vinegar, soda, borax) and hot water for the wash.

4. SOFT is very subjective, as others have pointed out. I have soft towels hanging them to dry on a clothesline outdoors, especially if there is a breeze. They are "fluffier" if dried in the dryer, but not necessarily "softer". I don't use dryer softener sheets, but let those little dryer balls do their magic when I occasionally can't dry outdoors.

-Grainlady

1/2 cup of borax in the wash
1 cup of white vinegar in the rinse
Dryer Max Dryer Balls in the dryer

And a partridge in a pear tree?

Is it possible that many/most laundry detergents include some kind of softening agent to account for the fact that Top Loaders (still the dominant machine used in the US) do not usually provide a good rinse?

In other words, to cover up the detergent residue left on the laundry, the detergent formulas include a softener that doesn't get rinsed out completely in your standard TL rinse cycle?

If so, then when someone switches from a TL to a FL, the better rinsing capability of the FL will remove much more detergent, also removing the "left behind on purpose" fabric softener, and thus, the clothing doesn't feel as soft.

Just another wild theory.

I have no proof that this is the case, but it wouldn't suprise me, either.

CMC

It's all about the quality of the towels, higher end towels has a better hand than the MID or BOL towels. Quality detergent is the next step and your choice of fabric softener will do the trick.

If I want my towels to be extra soft, I use Downey scent free and one sheet of bounce scent free. This combo has solved the problem of static that Downey refuses to do away with and the clothes are very soft.

Keep in mind that detergent plays a major roll, Cheer's fit gives the best hand (feel) after clothes are dryed so keep this in mind too.

I believe the issue of detergent build-up is highly overblown. Prior to getting my Asko FL set, I washed in a cheap-o GE top loader and knew nothing about detergent dosing. I would regularly overdose. When I got my Asko, I followed the recommendation to wash in plain water first, and NOTHING came out of the clothes -- not a single bubble.

When folks experience rough or greying laundry, I'm amused by the fact that half the people recommend cutting back on detergent while the other half recommends increasing the detergent dose. In my mind, it's nearly a wash (pun intended). If anything, underdosing of detergent seems to be a problem more than overdosing because water hardness and overall quality has a tremendous impact on detergent efficacy, yet many people fall into the 1-2 tablespoon category without knowing their water hardness.

If you have very hard water, you will be battling soap scum in your laundry. If you soften that water with a whole house softener, you will be trading soap scum for sodium carbonate. In either case, you will still have something in your laundry because the extra hardness in your water isn't going to magically disappear -- it is merely transformed from one form to another. The ideal scenario is to have soft water from the get-go, with low mineral content, but that is not an option for many people.

I had softer laundry in Seattle than I do in Phoenix, all things being equal, simply because of the differences in the water's mineral content. Using a whole-house softener has allowed me to use less laundry detergent, but when the water evaporates it still leaves a white sodium carbonate residue -- no water softener can make that disappear, only an RO or similar water purification system can get rid of that, which is costly and impractical for laundry purposes.

The biggest impact on softness, for me anyway, is the amount of residual moisture left in the clothing. If I dry my clothes on LOW heat, they are much softer, fluffier, and more pleasing to the touch than if dried on NORMAL. I've found this to be true regardless of type or quantity of detergent. The only guidance I can give on detergents is to use something that does not have any kind of "fabric care" or other related claim on the box, as these products typically contain enzymes that attempt to reduce lint but in the process end up eating the cloth fibres and can also negatively impact towel softness. Tide is known to be an aggressive detergent, so you may wish to steer clear of that product. I would suggest trying a "gentle" product your towels, one that does not contain enzymes, and also wash in at least 120°F to ensure any mold or mildew is destroyed.

Sorry for the long post.

blue dyer balls help.also hang drying towels on a line ,fluff them up in the dryer first on a cool seating,,for a couple minutes,than hang them ,they will dry soft.

Wow this is an old post. I enjoyed reading it. I'll add my 2 cents. I always had soft and fluffy towels in my TL, hot water boosted with boiling water, TOL powder detergent usually Tide with Bleach powder, Downy and dried on less dry..when I got my FL last summer my towels were so bad, dry, harsh and all my fluff was gone...washed on heavy duty 140+F, Tide with Bleach powder and 1 T Downy..stiff towels...I reduced my spin speed to medium and once again I had my soft fluffy towels. For me it was just reducing my spin that solved my problem.

I have noticed that if I don't use my Ariel with downy on my towels, along with FS, my towels get crunchy quick. I guess the water softening agents in the Ariel really play a big part in keeping them soft.

I have pretty hard water, something like 10 grains..per whatever. We had it tested last summer.

Jody yes those phosphates play a big role with hard water...I expecially love Mex Ariel with Downy on towels.

Tide with Bleach powder

baking soda (about a 1/4 cup)

no fabric softener, which coats the fibers and reduces absorbency

white vinegar in the final rinse

Doing these things keep my towels clean and soft.

Ditto on the powdered Tide w/ Bleach.

I was using Persil Power Perls on my white loads until I ran out and couldn't get it at Wal-Mart anymore. So I had to switch to Tide w/ Bleach powder and, although I don't think the Tide is quite as effective on whites as the Persil was, I noticed that my towels are noticeably softer using the Tide. (No fabric softener or any other additives. Moderately hard water; top load Speed Queen washer.)

I thot liquid detergent was best for towel softness. Where did I get that? Mama, help.

I believe towels are less soft in front loaders due to the higher spin speeds causing the fibers to mat down. My 'towel' setting cranks the spin speed to extra high. I lower it to medium and use the blue spiky dryer balls, and that has helped quite a bit

Bump for mamaP0.

I forgot to mention that I always use heater-boosted HOT water on towels.

I use the powdered Tide w/bleach for white towels. For colored and dark towels, I use Wisk liquid, also in HOT water. If I could find the Wisk (which is fast disappearing entirely) in powder, I'd use it. All of my detergents are HE.

Haven't made Wisk powder in years.

I was thinking the same Sparky