Towels not as soft after washing this time.

[pirahnah3]

Ok, I have washed my towels a few times now and never had this issue. Let me put some specifics down and please advise. 

 

Towels usually sit in one or two 5 gal buckets with 2oz of MFR and filled with water with a grit guard over top to hold them down. 

Water source - Personal Well 

Washer - Electrolux front load HE washing machine 

Load 1, General use towels, Load 2 Wheel towels, Load 3 Orange towels (They STILL bleed lol) 

Detergent, Tide free and clear in the main with the occasional 2oz of MFR thrown in the tub for prewash. 

Air dry typically on occasion fluff cycle 

 

 

This time all my towels came out not feeling very soft at all, the looked very knappy, so I put them in the wash again with no soap and an extra rinse cycle. 

 

Dried them, still knappy feeling, put them back in this time with white vinegar. Air dried, STILL not feeling nice. Compared to a previously washed single soft and it is as soft as can be.

 

Anyone have any advice?  

 

[Mariner]

That's an extensive care cycle for your towels.. and if you've followed this routine consistently and this is the first time something bad has happened, I would have to think that the error is coming from the washer. Maybe a foreign substance sticking around after your last load? 

[GXPaycheck]

Clean the washer per manufacturers instructions, add some white vinegar to the wash (in the fabric softener tray). That might help.

[BrianT]

Do you have a water softener or conditioner on your well?

[TheWolf]

Almost sounds like the machine is not doing the rinse cycle. Some supply hoses have burst-discs in them, to stop the water flow if the hose breaks. I had one stop running water because some air got in the house piping when I was doing plumbing work in the house.

 

What temp cycles are you running?

 

Run a cycle with some cloths on cold setting only, to see if it is getting water through the cold supply hose. Then run a cycle on hot setting only, with some laundry, to check that it is getting hot water through the hose.

[pirahnah3]

That's an extensive care cycle for your towels.. and if you've followed this routine consistently and this is the first time something bad has happened, I would have to think that the error is coming from the washer. Maybe a foreign substance sticking around after your last load? 

 

Your right it is, however it should keep the towels at their best and allow them to last the longest. If we care for our vehicles this much should we not maintain the tools to do so in the same manner? 

 

Clean the washer per manufacturers instructions, add some white vinegar to the wash (in the fabric softener tray). That might help.

 

Typically done on a monthly basis just as a preventative measure to ensure that buildup doesnt happen. 

 

Do you have a water softener or conditioner on your well?

 

I do not, the water is on the harder side but I dont personally like the effects from the water softener. 

 

Almost sounds like the machine is not doing the rinse cycle. Some supply hoses have burst-discs in them, to stop the water flow if the hose breaks. I had one stop running water because some air got in the house piping when I was doing plumbing work in the house.

 

What temp cycles are you running?

 

Run a cycle with some cloths on cold setting only, to see if it is getting water through the cold supply hose. Then run a cycle on hot setting only, with some laundry, to check that it is getting hot water through the hose.

 

I run typically on cold or eco cold for most all the laundry in the house. 

 

I have done our regular loads of laundry since this batch of towels and no issues. 

[GXPaycheck]

Just to clarify, you use vinegar when you wash the towels?

[chops1sc]

Try running them in a warm to hot cycle (depending on how hot your hot water is). I am using a similar process as you except I use Dreft Baby detergent and MF Restorer mixed with some vinegar in the softner.

Edited September 12, 2016 by chops1sc

[pirahnah3]

Just to clarify, you use vinegar when you wash the towels?

 

Not every time.

 

Try running them in a warm to hot cycle (depending on how hot your hot water is). I am using a similar process as you except I use Dreft Baby detergent and MF Restorer mixed with some vinegar in the softner.

 

I will give them a shot on the warm/hot and see if that helps.

 

Prob wont get to this for a day or three so any other advice is greatly appreciated. 

[Mnitetrain]

Curious Jim with our drought if your well may be low and picking up iron or manganese?

[pirahnah3]

did a load of regular laundry (which uses the origional tide and some downy fabric softener) and no issues as all, this also had some hand towels and a bath towel in it. 

 

I am starting to wonder thou, a bunch of the towels in this load had been in a 5gal soaking in some water with MFR in it. I am begining to wonder if there was a towel of two that had some H2O on it and due to soaking for a while soaked into the towels....

[Dwhite0960]

did a load of regular laundry (which uses the origional tide and some downy fabric softener) and no issues as all, this also had some hand towels and a bath towel in it. 

 

I am starting to wonder thou, a bunch of the towels in this load had been in a 5gal soaking in some water with MFR in it. I am begining to wonder if there was a towel of two that had some H2O on it and due to soaking for a while soaked into the towels....

I have some stained doubles I use h20 with and to say im not the fastest at doing towel cleaning is more than fair lol. Even if I wait a week then wash they come out soft although the gray stain is present soft as new.

[pirahnah3]

the stains I really dont care about its the lack of softness that has me puzzled. 

[pirahnah3]

Well, I decided to try something that seemed to have worked. 

 

I took a bunch of the towels that were having issues, and picked some that were used with H2O some not. I took a 5gal bucket and put the towels in it, inverted a grit gaurd over it just to hold the towels down. I then filled it with water and 4-6oz of APC, I then let it sit for about 36 hours. Then rewashed with my normal procedure, took the towels out of the machine gave them a snap (grab corner and snap just to take the wrinkles and whatever out) laid them out to dry. After they dried.......soft as before. Dont know that this was the solution but it certainly had an effect on the results. 

[Wild2003ss]

I use 2oz MFR & 2oz of APC on warm and put them in the dryer with the delicate setting and they come out as soft as new.

[ocdrifter]

Well, I decided to try something that seemed to have worked. 

 

I took a bunch of the towels that were having issues, and picked some that were used with H2O some not. I took a 5gal bucket and put the towels in it, inverted a grit gaurd over it just to hold the towels down. I then filled it with water and 4-6oz of APC, I then let it sit for about 36 hours. Then rewashed with my normal procedure, took the towels out of the machine gave them a snap (grab corner and snap just to take the wrinkles and whatever out) laid them out to dry. After they dried.......soft as before. Dont know that this was the solution but it certainly had an effect on the results.

 

The next time you put your towels to soak, in a bucket, run out to the store and buy som gallons of distilled water, use the distilled water instead of your well water. The water brand does not matter as long as it is distilled water. This is how I soak my towels and work well for me.

[nunzimouse]

For my towels I use the longest wash cycle in hot water and I add a cup of white vinegar to the wash and dry them on a low heat and they are holding their softness, the vinegar helps to break down and cleans away any gunk build up in your washing machine.  Also front loading washers are harder to keep clean so once a month I use a cup of bleach in a wash cycle with hot water, just water and bleach only no clothes lol, It has been working for me