Why do my clothes feel hard after washing?

Our experience has shown that the most likely cause of fabric feeling hard or stiff is incorrect dosing. To get the best results from your wash, you should follow the guidelines below.

• Using too little product may mean that there are insufficient active ingredients to combat water hardness, which can affect the softness of the fibres. This may also result in a poor overall wash.
• Using too much product may result in a build-up of detergent on the fibres, leaving them feeling rough.
• Also make sure you do not overfill your washing machine – especially with heavy cotton items such as jeans or towels, which absorb a lot of water. (Over filling the washing machine means that the product will not easily dissolve meaning you may get undissolved powder residues on your clothes. If the machine is too full, the clothes cannot tumble freely meaning there will probably be insufficient agitation from the machine to get garments clean. Finally, you will probably find that wash loads, which are too large for the machine, do not rinse well leaving them slightly ‘soapy’. When dry, these clothes can feel quite hard.

Tumble-drying items such as towels may also help as this process separates fibres, making them feel softer.