If your towels feel stiff, hard, and scratchy, a simple change in washing temperature can make a massive difference. Home experts at Secret Linen and The English Home say lowering the temperature is crucial.
Ideal temperature to wash towels
According to Secret Linen, high temperatures strip natural fibres of their softness. They recommend washing bath towels at a cooler temperature, between 30 and 40 degrees. The English Home experts advise a 40 degree wash for coloured towels or 60 degrees for white towels or heavily used coloured towels.
Lucy Ackroyd, head of design at Christy, tells The English Home: “Wash your towels at 30 or 40 degrees, as repeated washing at higher temperatures will damage that precious cotton.”
Common mistakes making towels hard and scratchy
Using too much detergent is a common error. Secret Linen warns that excess detergent is harder to rinse out, accumulating over time and adding to stiffness. Always follow the guidelines on the laundry liquid bottle.
Cramming too many towels into the machine also causes problems. The English Home experts say: “Tempting as it is to wash all your towels in one go, cramming too many into the machine does them no favours.” Secret Linen agrees: if there are too many towels, detergents and fabric conditioners won't rinse out properly, leaving a build-up that dries hard.
James Montgomery-Castle, junior buyer at Soak & Sleep, advises washing towels in small loads, as a full drum affects cleanliness. Design expert Lucy adds: “The towels will benefit from lots of room to slosh around and reopen those dried-up fibres.” However, too few items can also break down fibres faster.
Washing towels separately from other laundry is also recommended to avoid pulling and pilling of fibres, which causes loss of softness.
