New member with a question about washing micro fiber towels

awd330 · 03-20-02, 02:44

Hello. Great site here. I've been lurking around this board for a few months and learning lots about the latest detailing products.

In the past I've always used 100% cotton terry towels for detailing, but all the raves about microfiber made me run out and purchase a variety of MF towels. I've spent a few days experimenting and have picked out my favorite towels for car duty. Of course, a few of the tested towels turned out to be unsuitable for car detailing and have been relegated to other household cleaning chores.

Here's my question about laundering MF towels. I understand that MF towels should be washed in a separate load to prevent linting. However, would it be a problem to wash heavily soiled household cleaning towels in the same load as my quick detailing car towels? I'm worried about dirt and grime migrating from one towel to another. Your thoughts?

arcticwhite · 03-20-02, 03:27

You are wise to be concerned about mixing heavily soiled MF towels with your QD MF towels....I would not do it.

It is always better to be safe, than sorry. Wash your QD towels separately. No bleach, no fabric softener in the water, no dryer sheets in the dryer, and use a liquid laundry detergent - not powder.

Luis A. · 03-20-02, 08:32

I wouldn't even use the dryer.

For a while I was wondering where the scratches (not many, maybe 3 or 4 on the whole car) on my 993 where coming from. They were linear. I had 100% cotton-top-of-the-line-made-in-the-usa-yaddi-yadda towels. Well, one day I looked very carefully in the dryer and wiped the inside with my fingers, especially between those paddles and the drum. There was a *minute* amount of very, very fine sand in the dryer.

It is very likely that most dryers have some amount of abrasives in them if you've ever sat in the sand or dirt. Even more likely if you have children.

All it takes is a few grains of abrasive quartz (i.e., sand) in your towel and there you go! One scratch or two coming right up... Very visible on a black car.

I just air dry my MFs and keep them in a baggie after they're dry.

awd330 · 03-21-02, 08:13

I appreciate the advice. Looks like I'll need to order quite a few more quick detailing MF towels so that I can make a full load of laundry.

For what it's worth, here is a quick recap of my towel choices -

CMA's Magic Towel gets my vote for quick detailing (replacing 100% cotton terry towels). I'll also be using their Big Blue Towel for drying (replacing an Absorber) and their Max Finishing cloth for interior glass (replacing plain old paper towels). The Viper Glass and Detailing towels are okay, but not great. I'll probably use them for dry dashboard dusting. The NicSand Glass and Wax Removal towels are not suitable for detailing. Even after a few trips through the washer, they continue to leave behind thousands of tiny pieces of lint.

lyz2828 · 03-21-02, 11:09

I bought a bunch of MF towels, all the same color...could I make a little mark w/ a marker to indicate their use: qd, Klasse, windows. I want to keep various functions seperate, but I don't know if permament marker will last, hurt the MF, etc.