Washes beautifully. But The towels always dry rock hard. I have tried less detergent, much less detergent, vinegar rinses, fabric softener, one brand only. Extra rinsing cycle All to no effect Hardly any wind in my backyard. No drier.
Previous toploader= no problem Do I give up and enjoy the massage?
rak1,
Aug 5, 1:23pm
What brand machine. We have a F&P front loader, is brilliant. Double rinse, recommended amount of powder used and no fabric softener. No issues at all.
lilyfield,
Aug 5, 1:48pm
Its a Westinghouse
hazelnut2,
Aug 5, 2:18pm
My towels dry quite crispy too, as my front loader washes the clothes quite hard. But after 18 years I'm used to it and always USE A MUCH SHORTER CYCLE(synthetics) and throw the towels in the dryer for half an hour before hanging them up on the line.
Just saw in your post that you have no drier. Use the shortest cycle the machine has.
lilyfield,
Aug 5, 4:18pm
Yes that helps, I do that anyway. Clothes are never that filthy to do long washes. Learn to like rough towels must be the answer
hazelnut2,
Aug 5, 4:24pm
No one has asked 'how old are your towels'? The older they are, I find, the rougher they are. Wait for the next sale from the big shop that starts with a B?
fendie,
Aug 5, 5:54pm
yes I found the same thing, hung them outside in wind, shook them, used less washing powder. I think all front loaders have this problem. I admit I use the dryer to soften them up too. Best when they are nearly dry but I always forget, dry is OK.
koru67,
Aug 5, 8:07pm
Might be due to the spin speed too.
wine-o-clock,
Aug 6, 7:02am
My shortest cycle is 15mins. Somehow I don't think its long enough for washing towels and flannels. Mind you, that 15mins works for the hand towels tho as they don't turn out hard
terri01,
Aug 6, 1:37pm
My 15 minute cycle does not spin towels out fully, they come quite wet, not dripping but still wet. I always use the cotton cycle for towels it is a longer cycle but does the job well, I also fluff them up in the dryer
exwesty,
Aug 6, 7:29pm
I have a front loader and did have the same problem with line dried towels. If they are washed in the front loader and dried in the drier they are nice and fluffy. What you need to do if you are line drying the towels is to flick them before you peg them up as this will get the fibres and wicks to stand up. Pick up the towel like you are going to shake sand off of it and flick it.
pasadena1,
Aug 6, 8:28pm
Buy washing soda crystals from the supermarket - add a tablespoon to each wash, and everything comes out softer!
wine-o-clock,
Aug 6, 8:33pm
not everyone owns a drier, lol
trade4us2,
Aug 8, 5:29pm
I have a Frigidaire dryer from the 1980s. It works perfectly. It has no computer in it. I don't know if F&P made it.
hazelnut2,
Aug 8, 5:51pm
My shorter cycles do not spin fast enough, and I can't 'up' the speed via the buttons, so after every wash we flick the selector dial to ' only spin' and get our things much drier that way.
holmda,
Aug 10, 5:43pm
Wellington wind keeps our towels soft. Lots of flicking done for free :)
xs1100,
Aug 15, 9:41am
turn the spin speed down was the advice given to us when we brought a new front loader
catdog68,
Aug 20, 6:21pm
My towels are the same and hate the roughness. I wonder if it's because the machine only does one rinse as rak1 mentioned their F&P does a double rinse and they turn out soft.
exwesty,
Aug 22, 10:52am
My front loader does a double rinse. Flick the towels if you are line drying or use a drier.
arabelle,
Aug 23, 6:02pm
Dont laugh but I iron my towels, it softens [ use it dry, not on steam] and makes them more absorbable and also kills the little spiders that get on whilst hanging on the line that then bite me, I aso hope that any bacterial residue gets a short sharp shock of heat, so the towels dont harbour nasties,
brightlights60,
Aug 26, 7:06am
Weird. We have owned front loading wash machines for 40 years, and my parents had a Bendix from the 1950s! Never had crispy or hard towels. I wonder if it is your water? When you buy new towels or flannelette sheets, you are supposed to do a soak in salt or vinegar to remove the stuff they treat them with to make them appear soft and fluffy. Some homeware shops actually give you a leaflet on it. This is worth reading to: https://www.bhg.com.au/how-to-wash-new-towels-the-secret-to-fresh-fluffy-soft-towels Towels get build up on them because you are using them to dry your body after a shower or bath and its that that causes the hardness, so they need to be washed properly. Ours are usually done on a cool or cold wash, but always use vinegar, wich is a natural product that breaks down soap scum, and keeps the washing machine clean as a whistle as well. At present my towels are on a rack drying under the heat pump that comes on early morning as its useless putting them outside in Winter in Chch. I think it may be a combination of what you are doing, not just one thing.
sossie1,
Aug 26, 7:22am
how much vinegar do you add to the wash?
lilyfield,
Aug 26, 7:39am
My towels were always soft in the old toploader. So no change in water or detergent. Have reduced the spinning and also add vinegar, slight difference. For the last 50 years i have never used hot washing. Got to do something with the agitating cycle. Bummer, can’t bring the machine back.maybe writing to the manufacturer will give me other ideas.
cangil,
Sep 20, 5:09pm
The one concern I had when deciding on a front or top loader was the cardboard towels I observed in others’ towels. I went ahead and bought one and decided to try the ‘wool option’ purely as an experiment. It worked beautifully and towels washed as normal. I would never return to a top loader. The teaspoon of washing powder it uses, per load and water economy are two advantages.
joanie04,
Sep 20, 5:37pm
I went from a top loader to a front loader. I really use the 1400rpm spin just the 800rpm. Slightly drier than the top loader. No issue with stiff towels. Over winter they and all my washing gets finished off in the drier.
Friend just replaced her front loader with another and a lot of her towels were ruined. I think she has adjusted the spin cycle.
Since the public registrations are closed, you must have an invite from a current member to be able to register and post in this thread.
Have an account? Login here.