We buy fluffy new towels and the first candle lit bath is pure bliss. But that just-purchased softness and bounce rarely survives the curse of The First Wash. The harsh reality of living in a hard water area is that the limescale plays havoc with our bath sheets, turning them stiff enough to play tennis with.

Here are a few tips to bring the softness back.

All hail the tumble drier
Tumble driers may be out of favour because of their anti-eco credentials, but we have to admit that tumble dried towels beat line dried towels hands down in the softness stakes.

The Calgon Trick
A tip found in an old Good Housekeeping which seems to get the thumbs up in soft-towel forums online; try washing your towels on a normal machine cycle with a Calgon tablet, but no detergent.  Apparently there will be enough suds to clean the towels despite not putting any washing powder in there and they’ll dry softer.

Everything comes out nicer with an Aga
If you’re lucky enough to have an Aga, some people say popping your towels on top when they’re almost dry can help soften them.

Maybe Mum knew best after all
A good old-fashioned airing cupboard, kept warm, is said to help do the trick.

One for the Old Wives Tale archives?
Some people swear by putting a cup of white wine vinegar in the wash. We can’t verify whether this is true or not, but if it makes your hair shiny, why can’t it fluff up your towels too?

Never use fabric softener
The build up of silicone in the softener leaves a residue on your towels making them flat and rough.