Micro Lint . . .

[fdizzle]

so I am wondering if any one else here has encountered this problem, and perhaps knew what the cause of it was.



I did not take very good care of my coscto MF until I spent 200$ on cobra stuff, which gets washed seperatly, with MF restore and dried on low



I have noticed that some of my cheap MF leaves very tiny lint, almost invisible to the naked eye unless the light is correct . .



are these MF`s finished ? or should i treat them to a few washes with thevinager rinse to see if that rids them of this issue they seem to be having (you can buy 20 mf`s 80/20 blend at coscto for 12 bucks - so im not trippin about buying another pack to use for garbage duty on details ..

[Accumulator]

Some MF just *lints*, nothing you can do about it. Sometimes the linting stops after you`ve washed `em a few times but sometimes it doesn`t. That`s why I keep my plush MFs away from the glass, drives me nuts to see it on the window. It does seem like the better MFs lint less than the cheaper ones though..but I never use cheap ones on surfaces that really matter anyhow.

[paul34]

I`ve noticed this with my stupid Target (vroom) orange towels! its really annoying... like you, I decided to just spend some money on quality towels (Cobra in my case as well). Wow, what a difference.



Unfortunately the lint is still embedded in some places and I guess it`ll just have to be cleaned really well to get rid of it! (places such as the windshield, inside and out).



I`ve washed my vroom towels quite a few times and it never stops. I guess that`s just how they are... :nixweiss:

[Setec Astronomy]

Those cheaper MF`s lint like crazy. I bought a pack of the yellow soft ones a year or more ago at HD to use around the house, and like you other gents found all my mirrors and windows covered in micro-lint. Multiple washings (3 or 4) didn`t stop the linting, buy my gut feel on the Vroom oranges is that they will stop.

[fdizzle]

```````s . . . . such cheap QC and yet they still label it MF - guess Im gonna just halft to go all cobra now . . great, I am turinig int American Expresses No. 1 Customer

[paul34]

haha, well, when I did get my Cobra towels, I picked a Cobra deluxe jr (the purple ones) out, and the first thing I thoguht was "THIS is what MF is supposed to feel like?!"



And yea I agree with you on the AMEX comment. They must really love people like us... :o

[Djmigs]

yea i have the same one.... some of them do and some of them dont ...after many washes some of them have stop.... since these lint i was only using this for light color cars since you can tell but now i have this for other jobs door jambs etc....but i will say this Go to Sams Club if you have one nearby and get ther Blue Mf those are better i was giving this tip....



good luck

[AmericanBuffing]

Properly split microfiber is expensive, folks.



Your first clue in regards to quality issues should have been the retail price of $0.50 each for plush "microfiber". :chuckle:



Those yellow 50 cent "microfiber" towels in 24-packs at WalMart and Costco are enough to make a grown man :cry:. This one anyway...



It`s like using a hot glue gun to attach one of these:



http://www.kevinfreitas.net/img/20051105-85.jpg





to one of these:





http://www.worth1000.com/entries/32500/32740qede.jpg



EDIT: (Insert random googled picture of junker here)





And then selling it as a genuine Jaguar. Shouldn`t be allowed, I tell you!





Unfortunately with microfiber, the problem is two-fold. When corners are cut in the manufacturing process to save on costs... depending on the materials used and the towel weave, you can have no lint, but still very limited absorption/softness/cleaning power. So because the towel doesn`t lint, people will think it`s quality, even though in reality they`re just using an expensive low-lint dust rag. Or the towel won`t clean/dry very well AND it`ll lint like crazy, in which case you just know it`s bad.



The worse scenario is obviously the former. Since lint and microfiber is sort of like home pregnancy tests. You can get false negatives... (your towel might not lint, but it might still suck even though it isnt linting) but you can NEVER get false positives (if it lints, it is assuredly due to low quality). So if your towel is linting, you know it`s bad... but even sometimes when it`s not linting, you`ve got a glorified dust rag on your hands. And 9 times out of 10, the difference between good and bad is price.





That said.... don`t confuse manufacturing fuzz with lint. Even super-high quality towels that are bagged are going to have fuzz left over from when the cloths were sheared/cut. But that goes away after the first use and wash though.





Moral of the story: be extremely cautious of anything being sold retail for less than a dollar each that is labeled "microfiber." 99 times out of 100 you`re better off picking up the terry towels in the housewares section for 10 cents each.



In fact.... the lowest retail price (Online or otherwise) I`ve ever seen for something that I know to be of any quality, is in the $1.99 each range, or packs of 2 for $4 or something. And those are usually the thinner, "basic" microfiber towels. You`re going to be extremely hard pressed to find a high quality, plush towel for less than $3 or $4 each. Most sell in the $5-$7 range.

[fdizzle]

Well, thank you for that enlightening masters thesis on microfiber. I will be sure to nominate you for a award or somthing . . . I beleive most of us already knew most of what was said, as there are over a dozen trheads on MF -but we all appriciate your thoughts . . . .



The towels in question are used only for jobs that would make quality microfiber scream . . . IE wheel wells, metal polishing for unseen peices, door jam duty prior to polishing and waxing, and other chores that would require you slapping someone at the mere thought of using a quality microfiber on "that"

[AmericanBuffing]

Yes, well I`m notorious for being long winded.



Suffice to say, in response to "are these finished?" my answer was yes.





However, you can also try something else before you throw them out. You can boil them for 5 or 10 minutes and see how they come out. But I can`t guarantee that those yellow Chinese ones won`t melt. :chuckle:





Heat is a very important part of the manufacturing process for microfiber, so if you have good towels that have started to misbehave... you can always boil them to "refresh" the fibers.



I`ve mentioned that fix to a few people before... but I don`t think anyone has been brave enough to try it.

[medic159]

...However, you can also try something else before you throw them out. You can boil them for 5 or 10 minutes and see how they come out. But I can`t guarantee that those yellow Chinese ones won`t melt...



Misinformation like this is why so many people get confused. There is no way that boiling water will melt polyester so no damage will occur except possibly some fading. However... that will not ease linting problems. Linting, or more properly called "shedding" in the textile industry is primarily caused by three things:

- For new towels, handling during the manufacturing process. This usually washes out after two or three good hot water washes.

OR...

- If an older towel that never linted before the cause is trauma, that is, excessive use causing a breakdown in the fibers.

OR...

- Poor quality and improper finishing of the fabric.



You can`t do much about the shedding in the last two causes so relegate them to the dirty jobs and get yourself some quality products. You get what you pay for.

[lemans23]

Hmm, my Poorboy`s green glass towels leave that micro lint on the glass, even when they`re fresh outta the bag.

[benvegas]

Fresh out of the bag, always wash them first. :)

[fdizzle]

Ok . . . I think Im just gonna buy new towels . . . this has turned into another lost microfiber thread . .



Anyway . . . I rewashed all my coscto towels that were not stained badly and they came out soft, supple and lint free.