Washing your towels regularly with less detergent, using a low heat when putting them in the dryer and avoiding fabric softeners are some of the more conventional ways you might have tried out to get fluffy towels. But if you find that they're still coming out slightly crisp, you might want to try another method to restore that freshly-brought fluffiness.

Laura de Barra, home expert and author of Gaff Goddess, shared a video on revealing an easy way to fluff cotton towels back up with a simple technique that's completely free and doesn't require buying a tonne of new products. She warned viewers to "ditch the fabric softener" if you're a "fan of super soft towels", adding that while it might work on other laundry items, it can often lead to a waxy buildup when used on cotton towels, making them stiff and uncomfortable to use.

It also makes towels less absorbent, because it's designed to stay on the fabric, meaning the leftover residue can also result in towels taking longer to dry.

Instead, Laura recommends giving your towels a good shake before hanging them up to dry, essentially waking up the loops in the cotton fibres that make towels feel so soft.

The loops she's referring to are found on the side of the towel best used for when we're drying ourselves. Also known as the terry side, the loops in the fabric allow the towel to absorb water quickly.

"Washing and also general use of the towel is going to flatten these loops," said Laura. "So to loosen the fibres and get more air into the cotton, and to get those loops the way you want them, shake the towel before you put it on the dryer."

One commenter said: "I was a cynic that this would work as I am a bonafide dryer user for towels but tried it this week, omg my towels are so soft and fluffy. Amazing hack. Thank you so much."

For extra measure, Laura also shared that she adds a cup of distilled white vinegar at the rinse stage of the cycle, instead of fabric softener, to "whiten and brighten" her towels.

The distilled white vinegar will also "remove hard water deposits from the fibres that can leave towels feeling crunchy."