Q&A for How to Get Fluffy Towels

You can treat the vinegar as you would detergent or fabric softener. As long as it goes into the wash, it will do its job.

If you're in the UK, most "colour care" detergents don't have them. Try Ariel Colour or Persil Colour. If you're in the U.S., try brands like Woolite and Cheer. Eco-friendly detergents also do not contain optical brighteners.

Once there is a little bit of water in the bottom of the washing machine, I add my detergent, then my vinegar. Then I let the water fill a little more, and then put my laundry in.

How did you dry the towels? If air dried, they will be stiff no matter how they were washed. However, the towel will only be stiff for the first use, after which water from your hands or body will soften it again, so there's no need to use a dryer and waste energy unless that's the only choice you have.

About half a cup if you're doing the wash on its own without detergent.

No, it won't. I've been using vinegar instead of fabric softener for ages and never smelt vinegar. The odor disappears during the wash.

First you need to figure out what is making your towels so "crunchy". It is definitely not normal, so you need to address the issue. It is probably your detergent, chlorine, hard water, that you're washing it in. Or, it could be bodily fluids that have not been removed properly. Once you have addressed the source, and got rid of this problem, hopefully your towels will go back to normal (after using the recommendations from this article). Try softening your water if it's hard and use the dryer.

Baking soda with detergent should help. Also, try throwing in a tennis ball in the dryer with your towels to remove lumps and soften them. As for making them white, try some sort of chlorine-free bleach.