Soften crispy hard towels after 1 cycle by washing them with 1 natural item at 40 degrees

The majority of towels are made from cotton, a natural fibre made up of numerous tiny filaments. What happens to the cotton structures during the washing process influences whether your towels remain soft and fluffy or become hard and scratchy. Over time, it's the detergents and fabric softeners that cause the problem as they can leave a waxy residue on the cotton fibres. Ultimately, with repeated washes, most towels will eventually lose their softness.

To prevent this, it's important to understand the right laundry techniques for washing and maintaining your towels. Unsure what to do in this scenario, cleaning enthusiast Susie Ford took to the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips Facebook page for advice. She wrote: "Hi, any tips on how to wash my towels to keep them soft and fluffy? I can't use my tumble dryer at the moment, and they are now horrible and crispy!"

A tumble dryer can be a big help in the pursuit of soft towels, but there are ways to soften this laundry item without one.

The majority of group members in the comments section raved about adding white vinegar to the washing machine drawer - the compartment that you would usually add fabric conditioner to.

Donna Corbin said, "White vinegar in the conditioner drawer. Give them a good shake to lift the pile before hanging them to dry."

Sarah Paylor wrote: "White vinegar as a softener. Hang out to dry, go out every so often and give them a good shake before hanging back up to finish drying."

Maria Tuttle commented: "One cup of white vinegar in the fabric softener section of the detergent drawer at 40 degrees for super soft and fluffy results."

Sue Mayor said, "White vinegar in the conditioner drawer section. I do this once a month."

When it comes to cleaning towels, using white vinegar has long been a clever hack for keeping them soft and clean. However, if you're familiar with the strong scent, you might be wondering how to clean towels with vinegar and avoid that lingering odour.

Add detergent as normal, and then pour around 250ml of white distilled vinegar into the softener drawer.

Set the cycle temperature or program as per the towel label instructions. This usually varies from 30 to 40 degrees. You may want to opt for an extra rinse to ensure all detergent and vinegar are removed.

Don't worry if the towels still have a vinegar smell when coming out of the washing machine; this will vanish during drying.

Once the washing machine cycle has finished, remove the towels from the drum and shake to fluff up the fibres.