i've been putting em in the dryer for the last 5% of drying forever. otherwise jeans are stiff as cardboard and towels aren't much better

my parents have well water, they use fabric sheets to dry a small bit, then they hangs towels. they are like cardboard. My own well water, my wife uses liquid fabric softener, drys for a few mins, hangs towels and they are 95% softer than my parents towels.