Why Your Towels Feel Scratchy (And How To Fix It)

There's nothing quite like stepping out of a warm shower and wrapping up in a soft, plush towel. This experience can be luxurious and channel the feeling of a spa within your own home. But it can also be fleeting. Often, it doesn't take long for fluffy towels to turn stiff, scratchy, or even hard. That said, don't throw out or repurpose your old towels just yet. Instead, try to identify the cause and see if restoration is possible.

There are actually quite a few reasons your towels may feel scratchy, and some common explanations lie within your washer or dryer. Washing your towels with cold water may not remove all the leftover residue, and using too much detergent just adds more. It can even be a problem with space, as a large load reduces the amount of space where dirt, grime, and oils can wash out and drain. However, even if you do everything right, a few common mistakes during the drying process can also lead to that uncomfortable, rough feeling. Both air-drying your towels and using too much heat in the dryer can impact softness. Fortunately, there are ways to save some towels, bringing back that like-new feeling after each shower. While some older towels may just need to be replaced, you may be able to restore and soften newer towels with just a few steps.

One of the best ways to revive and soften towels is to switch up your laundry routine to avoid the mistakes everyone makes while washing towels. If you've been washing your towels by filling up the washer and adding fabric softener, then you may be just a few small changes away from getting rid of that rough feeling so you no longer dread drying off. This can also help reduce or remove musty odors and even extend the lifespan of your towels.

The first step is learning the right way to wash your towels, such as opting for smaller loads. Washing just a few dirty towels at a time, rather than a full load, can add to your chore time, but it ensures your towels have plenty of space both in the washing machine and the dryer. All this extra room helps any grime or residue clinging to your towel to loosen and wash away. Also consider skipping the fabric softener and using detergent alone. While fabric softener can be great on clothes, it can impact a towel's ability to soak up liquid. Even worse, it can leave build-up that causes stiffness. When it's time for your towels to hit the dryer, using a tumble setting with lower heat can also be a step in the right direction. And if you want to air-dry while avoiding stiffness, make sure to fluff your towels with a good shake when you pull them off the line.

Making changes to your laundry routine can help prevent scratchiness in the long run, but what about the towels that are already growing rough around the edges? Well, to bring back that spa-like softness, it might be time to give your towels a spa day of their own.

To soften your towels, try running them through a wash cycle with white vinegar. That's right — no fabric softeners, no detergent, just a cup of distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is a versatile cleaning tool, and in your laundry, it acts as a fabric softener, creating that plush, fluffy texture, while also killing bacteria. White vinegar isn't just for saving stiff towels, either. You don't have to wait until after your towels are in a sorry state to use it: Occasionally adding vinegar in place of store bought cleaners in your day-to-day washes can actually preserve the lifespan of your towels.