Fluffy towels: buy the best cotton towels you can. All cotton, no synthetics.

I get fluffy towels by washing them with Charlie's Soap, rinsing really well, and drying them in the dryer.

Crisp sheets? Again, buy good ones, all cotton, (and not wrinkle-resistant). Percale weave is crisper than sateen.

Wash in hot, line dry in the sun. Perfect!

Crisp sheets? Have the maid iron and lightly starch them?

You can get fluffy towels by running line-dried ones through a fluff (air only) cycle for a few minutes.

Baking soda in the wash (as an additive to detergent) softens my towels and they come out noticeably fluffier than when I washed them without it. Baking soda is cheap; I buy it in bulk at a warehouse store, as I also do a lot of baking. (One-half cup is effective for a full load in my 5 cu ft Maytag Bravos HE washer, and I put it directly in the drum before putting the towels in.)

This means I don't use liquid fabric softener on towels, which coats them, thus greatly reducing their absorbency. I do use one-half cup white vinegar in the FS dispenser when I wash towels.

I have bought 'really good' towels (at great sale prices) and I have also bought el cheapos at Wally World and other discount stores. They all come out nice and fluffy.

For really crisp sheets without ironing, you may have to dry them on a clothesline. Ahhh, heavenly scent. :)

The 800-thread count cotton sheets I bought for a song at BJ's warehouse store (oh, if I'd only bought more!) do come out of the dryer crisp. Our lower-count cotton sheets, though very soft and comfortable, do not.

Make sure you wash your sheets on VERY WARM/HOT or no less than 120 degrees to ensure they don't stink later. A half dose of Downey Free in the final rinse with 5-10 drops of lavender essential oil give me heavenly results. I don't notice any build-up on my towels and they dry equally well with or without the use of fabric softener. Use it in moderation and you won't have problems.

Also dry on your dryer's low temp setting and try to retain a tiny bit of moisture in your towels when the drying cycle is complete.

I meant towels in the first sentence, not sheets. Although I wash my sheets the same way. There's nothing like the fresh smell of clean sheets!