I know there is another thread on another forum about clotheslines but I can't find it so I will ask here.....


If you line dry... how do you keep your bath towels from being brick hard and scratchy? I don't care about the kitchen towels but the bath ones are yucky... is it the cotton that is in the towels? I don't use fabric softener... is there something natural that works as a fabric softener, if that is the answer?

thanks!!

snap the towels before you hang them, and then really, run them through the dryer for a few minutes before putting them away. and, get used to scratchier towels because they aren't going to be as soft and fluffy as the dryer. :)

Heck, Emily, that is what I was thinking too. I told dh that I would prolly throw them in the dryer.....

I will try to snap them nice and hard. I usually snap everything before hanging it, thinking I am getting a few wrinkles out. It may be more of a ritual than anything LOL!~

thanks!

I have found a vinegar rinse can soften them up a bit, but I have resorted to buying seventh generation fabric softener for my towels and blankets. Snapping just doesn't seem to do the trick enough...towels should not be able to stand in teepee form on their own:lol:

I have also found folding them in half AND hanging them on my deck railing rather than my line works better. Not sure why except my railing is higher up, gets more sun and more breeze.

..towels should not be able to stand in teepee form on their own:lol:


:lol: mine do this!!!!

I have also found folding them in half AND hanging them on my deck railing rather than my line works better. Not sure why except my railing is higher up, gets more sun and more breeze.


Yeah, the breeze would be great. My clothesline is in our sunroom.... neighborhood restrictions :rolleyes:

Thanks for the info on the 7th gen. may give that a try!

I resorted to using fabric softener (even though you aren't supposed to use it on towels due to absorbancy) and a LITTLE makes a huge difference. I would try it. There are several "natural" ones.

I resorted to using fabric softener (even though you aren't supposed to use it on towels due to absorbancy) and a LITTLE makes a huge difference. I would try it. There are several "natural" ones.

Yeah, I didn't think fab softener was for towels either. My MIL uses so much that her big fluffy towels actually REPEL water. She can't figure it out and I ahve tried to tell her ;).

I will give a small amount a try as well..

Thanks!!!!

:lol: mine do this!!!!




Yeah, the breeze would be great. My clothesline is in our sunroom.... neighborhood restrictions :rolleyes:

Thanks for the info on the 7th gen. may give that a try!


I have neighborhood restrictions as well...not allowed and if I get 'caught' it is a $50 daily fine:drop: BUT I am the person on the committee who decides who is in violation:lol: so, lucky me. We do have a wooded yard and no one can see my line unless they are IN my yard. Is there a way you could hide it...or a couple racks on your porch or something?

I am a bad clothesline drying mama...but I read that if you pin each end on the line like they're folded in half, they'll rub against themselves as they dry (um, that didn't sound right!) and get soft that way.

I've found 2 ways to get soft(er) towels. They're never be completely like dryer towel.

#1 you can put them in the dryer for about 5 minutes before you hang. Something about the heat, but I'm not einstein so I don't get the physics.

#2 put them out on a VERY windy day so they're whipping like a flag.

fwiw, I came to love the "crunchy" towels because they're SO absorbant. really. The difference is quite remarkable. So if you can put the crunch out of your head long enough to note how quickly you're dry out of the shower, it's easier to embrace them. mind-set. :)

Especially with the kids. I pat their feet dry, then wrap that crunchy towel around their warm wet body and they are dry just.like.that. No rubbing, huffing while bent over trying to get all those drips. gah.

ok, I'm dreading my winter towels now lol.

Ok, I tried the vinegar rinse and snapping the fire out of them.... Also pinning and they are a touch softer. I also snap them a few times after they come off the line so they aren't so stiff when folded.

Katie, I am now working on changing my way of thinking about my clothes off line. I don't mind stiff underpants because after wearing them a minute or two, they soften up like normal. Weird.

Also, going to take note of absorbency.

thanks!

We also embrace the crunchy towel and call it European Exfoliation, lol.

We also embrace the crunchy towel and call it European Exfoliation, lol.

:lol: Yeah, I see that the correct frame of mind is totally needed and makes it all that much more fun!!

I finish them off in the dryer with a bounce sheet but it only works if they are still just a touch damp when you do it. Doesn't seem to work if you don't catch them still slightly damp.

I love the crunchy line-dried towels, but dh and dd will dig in the closet for the soft ones from the dryer.

Danielle, I would never catch them in time. Since they are in the sunroom, I tend to forget they are even out there ;).

Monie, you guys are gorgeous!!! yeah, my 10 yo does not want to have the correct mind-frame for the crunchier "spa" towels. She said, YUCK! LOL

I finish them off in the dryer with a bounce sheet but it only works if they are still just a touch damp when you do it. Doesn't seem to work if you don't catch them still slightly damp.

You should post a picture of the cool australian style clotheslines. :) I so wish we had the same thing here.

You should post a picture of the cool australian style clotheslines. :) I so wish we had the same thing here.

Please do if you have them bookmarked and easy access. Otherwise I will have to get to googling this afternoon!!! :lol:

You should post a picture of the cool australian style clotheslines. :) I so wish we had the same thing here.
I found pictures!!! That IS cool!!! Ah...line lust.:lol:

http://www.baileyladders.com.au/resource/bundle.1/illusionId=5673&c=published&f=image:jpeg/resource/enlarged.jpg%20%7D

Oh yes, dh says that we WILL have one of those when we move. They are pricey but I can always ask family to pitch in for a Christmas present or birthday or something. Our families are very practical like that and would totlaly participate!!

ive never noticed my towels being crunchy. plus our "dryer" really isnt. it takes no joke four or five hours to dry several t-shirts. so it isnt really an option.

I found pictures!!! That IS cool!!! Ah...line lust.:lol:

http://www.baileyladders.com.au/resource/bundle.1/illusionId=5673&c=published&f=image:jpeg/resource/enlarged.jpg%20%7D

That's it....the Hills Hoist..........many fond memories of swinging on Nanna's clothesline......good times!

The best thing about these is they spin in the wind and your clothes dry in twice the time!

That is really cool!

I'd love to have a little cart on wheels! No more stooping to pick up wet clothes!