This 30-Second Laundry Trick Is Making People Wonder Why Their Towels Were Never Fluffy

The answer isn't a fancier detergent, it's something you're almost certainly overdoing.

If your bath towels come out of the dryer feeling more like cardboard than a cloud, the culprit probably isn't your machine. It's the stuff you keep pouring in to make them softer.

Fabric softener and dryer sheets leave a waxy coating that builds up over time, which actually reduces how much water a towel can absorb. The fluffiest towels are usually the ones washed with the least gunk added.

The trick people are raving about is dead simple: wash towels with a smaller dose of detergent, skip the softener, and toss in a half cup of white vinegar during the rinse to strip old buildup.

Add a couple of wool dryer balls and pull them out while slightly damp to air-finish, and suddenly your towels are soft, absorbent, and hotel-worthy again.