Give me washing tips!

OKay.. so as you all know i have just moved out and rarely ever did the washing at home unless mum was in hospital!
well i just did two loads last night but im not happy with the towels.
we dont have a dryer. So we use that thing that you open up and put your clothes on it to dry.
ANyway my towels looked so thin and felt a little rough!
I want my towels fluffy like the ones on tv and advertisements and when you just buy them!
Is there any other way to make towels feel nice with out ironing them??
I also miss my mum ironing my socks!
ANy of your help will be appreciated.


- Fran

You were just kidding about your mom ironing your socks, right?

I don't know how to help you because I cannot think of anyway to make them fluffier when they dry in the house. If it were warm and you had a line to hang them on outside, it would be different.

Did you use any fabric softener in the wash?

I have actually heard that you shouldn't use fabric softener on towels; makes them less absorbent. I always avoid fabric softener when I wash my towels.

Captiva, No i wasnt Joking My mum is a house wife and she had nothing to do so she liked to iron socks and undies too. Infact my dad feels unconfortable if his underwear isnt ironed! (a bit spoilt he is i think)
Yes i do use this fabric softener and its for towels and baby clothes but it smells soo nice! so i use it one very item of clothes.

Deb if i dont use fabric softener it makes all the clothes hard?

Speaking of ironing, when Carol and I first got together, I became Mr Domestic fingers and decided that I would do the washing and ironing whilst I had a day off and she was working. Well the washing went swimmingly, however, ironing is a different thing altogether and I merrily worked my way through it all. Blouses, shirts, skirts, trousers, the lot and the final item was her bra's. Well I gave up on them all after an hour and conceded that I had no idea how to do them. every way it seemed to be wrong.
No one told me you dont iron the bra and to this day, I am still reminded of this, normally when we have company and Carol wants to get her own back for something....
Not my strongest hour or day in life

I use fabric softener on all of my clothes, just not towels. I was told that something in fabric softener actually 'repels' water, so to speak, so that would make a towel less absorbent. It may be a myth, but I don't hang my arm out the car window either, because me dad told me it would blow off.

Originally Posted by Deb25

I use fabric softener on all of my clothes, just not towels. I was told that something in fabric softener actually 'repels' water, so to speak, so that would make a towel less absorbent. It may be a myth, but I don't hang my arm out the car window either, because me dad told me it would blow off.

Click to expand...

Fabric softener, but make sure it's a decent one. I don't know if you have these but i use "Lenor or Comfort".

Pfftt i like ironing but i won't do my socks

I was just reading in the paper this morning that fabric softener makes your towels less fluffy. (Don't know how true it is but it was in the Toronto Star)

I've always found that unless I dry my towels in the dryer, they tend to be not so soft. Even the outdoor clothesline in the summer doesn't make them as soft as the dryer.

I love ironing. Unfortunately, our daughter bought one of those crinkly skirts and was mortified that I ironed the wrinkles out of it. She teases me about it to this day.

haha i bought those crinkly shirts too and dont worry, My mother said it looked ugly and she ironed it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But i dont know my mother doesnt use a dryer and they still come out fluffyish.
I will try out Lenor because thats what my mum uses too Susan

fwan, I made you something to use until you get another signature (I think you asked Cirque to make one for you):
img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/jcatpics/fwan.gif
Put it between a) and b) in your siggy. It's 9K, so small enough, and it'll work, because it's on my Photobucket account.
a) http://

b)

Originally Posted by jcat

fwan, I made you something to use until you get another signature (I think you asked Cirque to make one for you):
img.photobucket.com/albums/v194/jcatpics/fwan.gif
Put it between a) and b) in your siggy. It's 9K, so small enough, and it'll work, because it's on my Photobucket account.
a)

Click to expand...

Aww thanx!!!!

http://www.modernbride.com/registry/...elmbw0701.html

I found this little tidbit on Modern Bride:

It's always a good idea to wash towels separately from other laundry, because they tend to spread lint. Machine wash them in warm water with a mild detergent, and tumble dry on the cotton setting. If you air dry your towels, shake them before hanging, and then again when they're dry to fluff up the terry loops. Never use bleach or fabric softeners, because they damage cotton fibers, making them less absorbent

Ohh thank you talon!
Now im not going to use any softeners anymore!!! especially on my new towels!

Originally Posted by Deb25

I use fabric softener on all of my clothes, just not towels. I was told that something in fabric softener actually 'repels' water, so to speak, so that would make a towel less absorbent. It may be a myth, but I don't hang my arm out the car window either, because me dad told me it would blow off.

Click to expand...

It is true that they become less absorbent if you put fabric softener on them. I always wash my towels separately, but I don't know if a way you can prevent them from getting "rough" without drying them in the dryer and without using fabric softener.
I use a dryer and I also use the Bounce dryer sheets instead of the liquid on the towels. I have never noticed a difference in the absorbancy personally, but I know that I really shouldn't use it They just smell sooooo good!

I hang my clothes outside for about 6 months of the year and don't like using fabric softener. I don't mind the "roughness feel" of the towels-I figure that is good for my skin (removing dead skin and all). This time of yr I hand all my shirts, pants up by the wood stove to dry. Also if I did a small load I'll let everything air dry. You must really like ironing. I iron the bare minimum of stuff. Clothes only even though I know there are people who iron sheets.

WEll i do like to iron but im very lazy
My mother even irons my pijamas.
If she sees one crinkle in anything she wants to iron it!
Well im not so bad though

Good luck fwan! Quite recently I've been doing alot of washing - we don't use fabric softener though....