Is it OK to tumble-dry my towels?

Tumble-drying will help give your towels a fluffy, soft feeling, but as line drying is better for the environment and costs nothing, you might want to cut down on tumble dryer use. You can get good results by drying towels on a washing line or airer.

Here are a few tips for softer towels, no matter how you're drying them:

• Don't be tempted to tumble-dry until they're bone dry as you'll "set" the fibres making the towel feel scratchy. We'd recommend you start drying your towels in the tumble-drier, remove them when they're about 80% dry and then place them on an airer or washing line to dry completely.
• Just as with tumble-dried towels, line-dried towels may feel a bit stiff once they're completely dry. Give them a good shake before you fold them up and they'll feel much softer.
  
• Never use fabric conditioner when washing your towels. It collects in the fibres and makes them hard and "scratchy" over time. Stick to detergent only. Tumble drying is, in fact, the best way to make your towels fluffy.