How I keep my cotton flannels soft

My secret recipe? Cold water in the wash & low heat in the dryer.

For over 7 years I've been purchasing used flannels and have come across a lot of cotton shirts that felt "crunchy" that I wasn't sure I'd be able to bring back to it's soft nature. The "crunchy" feeling was usually because the clothing was always washed with hot water and dried using high heat.

Hot water is typically used for highly soiled clothes. The hot water loosens the fibers of the clothing, making it easier to release the stain. So when loosening all the cotton fibers in a nice warm wash bath then throwing them in a high heat dryer, all those fibers quickly pull back in and likely shrink the clothing.

Here's how I deal with flannels that shrank already or were pre-shrunk. Cotton is a natural fiber that can dry out over time and I found that using high temps in the dryer especially can cause clothes to dry out and feel "crunchy" over time. I can reverse this feeling over time, but I can't un-shrink a flannel. To soften cotton flannels that feel "crunchy" I wash them in cold water and dry on low heat with a dryer sheet. I also use spiky plastic dryer balls if I need to loosen the fibers up even more, for those extra "crunchy" guys.

This is my secret recipe for keeping my inventory flannels soft, and all my personal clothes even.