What kind of washer do you have?

It's a Bosch FL from 2006. The're from back in the day when Bosch made full sized machines with lower pedestals. Other than this problem, they're good machines. I'm loathe to replace them because they fit beautifully in the space allotted. The laundry room has cabinets above so the lower pedestals allow me to use the top of the machines as a staging area when we entertain. If I replace them the taller pedestals now won't allow for that.

I've had good luck with half Vaska tabs and grab green plus a small amount of Ecover fabric softener. That's the only one I've found that doesn't affect texture or absorbency. The others seemed to make the towels flabby and they didn't dry well. I've said before I feel vinegar is useless but it's also harmless.

I tumble dry them to make them soft. A 20 minute burst and then line drying makes a big difference for mine too

First if your are feeling a cold damp feel on towels that you know are dry you may have FS built up in the fibers that Charlies is unable to remove. I would wash them using hot water and a different detergent than Charlies I'd also add about 1/2 cup of low suds ammonia to the wash cycle. The ammonia will help deep clean. Do a few extra rinses maybe 3 rinses. No smell of ammonia will remain. Lower your spin speed to medium, and add about 1 Tablespoon Downy to the last rinse.

Spin speeds that are to fast can make towels scratchy and harsh. Dry them until dry but don't over dry.

FS can build up in fibers and maybe Charlies isn't getting it out.

I wouldn't use more than 1 T of FS on towels otherwise you could end up with absorbancy problems.

Thank you Mama, Roccoco and Richard! I've tried ALL Clear, but perhaps another detergent will work better. Scented detergents like Tide or OxyClean are a no go for me. Line drying is out, I don't have one, but we could try a lower heat dry. I'm currently using I'll look for the Ecover fabric softener too. Just ordered some Vaska tabs on Amazon. Can someone point me towards low suds ammonia? Is there a brand name for the ammonia?

Ammonia is common in the grocery stores. It's either in the laundry aisle or the cleaning products aisle. It's old school. Will be very effective at cutting the residue you probably have in your fibers.

@compumom - You're not alone on the towel issue. Mine are organic, from Coyuchi, which I thought would solve the scratchy problem. But no. Worse. I've never used fabric softener until I was forced to. Otherwise, the towels were terrible. Depending on load size I use half or whole Vaska tab. Coyuchi sent them with the towels. It's milder and supposedly less caustic but who knows. Grab Green also works well on towels.

Still find I need the FS, at least every other load. It's the cotton used for new towels. Not our fine American cotton that we used to get from towels made here in No Carolina. Ecover had no-fragrance FS. I found it at the health food store.

Compumom, I had the same problem with my Bosch 500+. No matter, what cycle, spin speed, even doing a quick cycle sans detergent, towels came out stiff and scratchy in the dryer and forget line drying. Don't know if it's the spin speeds or lack of water, or maybe both. Now with the speed queen tl, liquid tide and second rinse they are 100% better, even with no fs.

I use 1/2 softener, 1/2 vinegar which doesn't seem to impair absorbency. I also use the "dryer balls" on my towels--they come out nice and soft, whether they are from Belk or Walmart.

I have a bosch 500 that is 7 years old.

I think some of the issue these days is that the quality of the towels isn't like it used to be.

I have some guest towels that are quite old and since they aren't used that often they have lasted a long time. They stay really really soft without fabric softener.

Recently I bought some Purex natural elements liquid -linens and lilies scent . It is very light and really no scent left when things come out of the dryer.

I tried it on my towels and I was surprised how much softer they were than when I use Tide or a detergent with enzymes.

Since towels aren't horribly dirty, I don't think they need such a heavy duty detergent.

I dry my towels on high until the damp stage and then I lower the temp to finish drying them. I have a gas dryer. Not sure if that makes a difference

I'm very grateful for the further responses. Maybe it is my Bosch machines that is causing the crunchies, but as I said, I'm loathe to part with them for reasons stated above. Charlie's Soap isn't harsh either, no matter if I use All Free & Clear or even perfumed Oxyclean (donated by my couponing daughter)didn't solve the issue. I'm waiting for my Vaska tabs and I'll hit up Whole foods for Ecover and dryer balls. Something has to help!

BTW Rcgurl, I completely agree with your assessment of the Restoration Hardware towels. We love bath sheets, but theirs weigh a ton!

@compumom - I bought RH towels 6 years ago on sale. Their 800 gram towels. We use bath sheets also. Just too heavy as time went on. But after 5 years of daily use and apartment house Speed Quees they looked terrific. Perhaps it's us boomers (we get blamed for everything) but I noticed they have lighter weight bath sheets now. I've been meaning to go by and look at them. Cotton/linen blends. There are two other super high end sources I found but I can't see putting a lot of money into towels as it doesn't seem to make a difference.

I have honestly always, always used liquid fabric softener on bath towels, and I have never, never had a single issue with absorbency!!

For those having "absorbency" issues...are you using a 1/2 cup or more of softener?!?! I use about 1/2 cap, HALF of a CAP. Flawless. Each and every time!! :)

I'm unsure quite how much my cleaning lady is using, but I know that it's a slight amount. We have discussed and she's had the same bottle for many weeks.

Rccgurl I'll check out the latest RH catalog for new towels. That behemoth arrived in yesterday's mail!

I've tried quite a few RH towels. The Garment-washed turkish terry is very nice and soft. Only issue is because they are heavy, they can take forever to dry particularly in the warm/humid months.

I really like the Heather Cotton-Linen reversible towel's for the summer, they are thin and dry fast (in the dryer or just hanging). My go to towel for the summer!

I took a look at the catalog today and honestly, I'm so done with RH's dreary color palette. White and shades of gray don't fit with my warm toned stone bathroom. I loved their silver sage and wish that they would return to color. FWIW my bedroom is furnished with RH's duvet, curtains and sheets and hardware from the days when they had retail stores in the malls. A recent visit to their store left me cold. There was absolutely no color and the prices were shocking.

Have you checked if the washer is working properly? Does it pump the water out totally (no blocked filter?). Does it fill properly (is the water pressure enough, no blocked screens in the hoses?). If not all the water is pumped out, or the machine doesn't fill properly you could have detergent build up or even worse, dirt build up.

RH is owned by a guy design-guru who lives in LA. Their business model with all the stores seemed to fizzle because they went clubby and it became very masculine looking with all the "neutral" towels. And the prices went up. I don't get black and dark gray towels.

I always buy silver gray as well. It just works with everything. I don't like white as those show everything and discolor.

I will say this about the Coyuchi Air Weight towels. They are light (450 g) the colors are great and they aren't ridiculously priced, especially when they go on sale at 20% off. I have huge issues with their quality control and their shipping cost/efficiency. I returned as many towels for replacement as I bought. But if you have the patience to deal with them and ask for replacements and wait for the towels I will say they color weight and price are in their favor and the bath sheets are great. I found I don't care for traditional loop towels and these are a bit different in texture and I prefer that texture. They are sort of ribbed.

On the back end they need FS but most do. OTOH, I bought the superluxe Waterworks towel wholesale from the distributor. Those were twice the price and they weren't twice as good and they lost half their weight when the lint came out and still needed FS.

Kassatex makes a lot of different towel lines. Their customer service is excellent. They don't have great sales but the prices aren't crazy. Quality control isn't tops but may be worth a look at what they have now. Tomorrow and Monday are the days to buy. Just noticed they offer 30% off with a $250 purchase.