Washing and cross contamination

[BMW335i]

I use a WW to dry my wheels, and a WW to dry my paint...how do you guys organize what should be washed with what to avoid cross contamination? For ex. interior towels, wheel/jamb towels, paint towels...is it OK to wash a wheel towel with a paint towel? I am guessing no...

[JavierC]

I wouldn`t wash my car washing gear at a home washer (don`t want to get the mrs` upset) but rather at a laundromat

[RCBuddha]

I use a WW to dry my wheels, and a WW to dry my paint...how do you guys organize what should be washed with what to avoid cross contamination? For ex. interior towels, wheel/jamb towels, paint towels...is it OK to wash a wheel towel with a paint towel? I am guessing no...



I just use seperate hampers for each type of towel. You can never be too cautious.

[BMW335i]

I just use seperate hampers for each type of towel. You can never be too cautious.



What towel should the wheel towel go in the wash with?

[RCBuddha]

What towel should the wheel towel go in the wash with?



I`d dedicate a hamper or laundry bag for those specific towels. I seperate my towels like this:



1. Paint Towels/mf applicators/ww drying towels

2. General purpose towels

3. Terry Cloth towels/applicators

4. Hand Applicators (foam)



I don`t use MF or WW on wheels too often, but I dedicate a laundry bag specifically for them.

[Sergei]

I separate my towels into 3 categories:

- Terry cloth

- MF for paint

- MF for wheels, underbody



I never, ever co-mingle any of the above when washing. The terry cotton occasionally will shed lint which will get trapped into the MF fibers. So the terry`s get their separate treatment; hot wash, liquid detergent, mixed with simple green - no bleach or fabric softener. I throw those in the dryer.



The MF`s used for paint - warm/cold wash, liquid detergent, SG & distilled vinegar. I just air dry them. I don`t want my MF`s in the dryer due to the potential of picking up lint from the dryer.



The MF`s for underbody and wheels - I always presoak in a bucket of SG prior to washing. Those towels typically need an extra dose of SG for the degreasing affect. I let it presoak for at least 1/2 day. After pre-soak, I wash them like my MF paints above. Air dry as well.



On another note I like to batch up my washes so I have special containers to hold towels prior to washing. Prior to washing, I store the dirty MF`s in separate containers for MF paint towels and underbody(with lids - to eliminate any dirt falling into the container) so that further cross contamination is eliminated. The main reason is I want my MF`s for paint to last as long as possible and without fear of having any grit inside those fibers. It`s anal, but I just want to do anything it takes to eliminate any kind of swirls coming from my towels - either from bad wiping techniques or, cross contamination.



On a final note, I store each towel (terry, MF paint, MF underbody) in their separate plastic baggie. The terry cloth require larger zip lock bags - Hefty makes a 10 gallon bag so I store like 3 towels in there. Squeeze out the air, and store them on the shelve ready for the next wash.



For the MF`s, I just use regular hefty 1 gallon zip lock bags with the pulls. I keep the MF paint towels separated as well as the underbody. I mark the underbody bags with a sharpie pen on the outside label.



Now you will know I am full on nuts. I separate my good MF paints - WW`s are in a separate bag, QD towels separate, Polish MF`s separate, etc. I take all those bags and store them in a clear plastic container. So when I wash, I get my chemicals, grit guard bucket, mitts and pull out my clear plastic containers with WW`s and Terry`s. I can do it blind, because I know I store my containers in the same place.



I am starting to ramble, but I do the same procedure for my buffing pads. Each pad get a baggie and stored in a plastic container. So that when a buffing day comes along, I pull out the PC, the container with buffing pads, container with the buffing chemicals and the MF towel container.



And then there are the brushes...never mind you get my point. I am a sick person... :-)

[BMW335i]

Thanks^^, how does this sound:



Interior MF towels

Exterior paint MF towels (drying WW`s/plush MF`s/applicators/glass MF towels)

Exterior jamb/wheel MF towels



BTW, anybody know of any sturdy, spacious, upright cabinets? Like the plastic see-through ones that you can put in your garage to store all your MF`s in, and maybe even your detailing bottles/sprays.

[Sergei]

Thanks^^, how does this sound:



Interior MF towels

Exterior paint MF towels (drying WW`s/plush MF`s/applicators/glass MF towels)

Exterior jamb/wheel MF towels



BTW, anybody know of any sturdy, spacious, upright cabinets? Like the plastic see-through ones that you can put in your garage to store all your MF`s in, and maybe even your detailing bottles/sprays.

Yes!!! You are getting the picture - in regards to categories vs. contamination. You have to keep the swirls minimized by introducing no contamination from the towels.



As far as storage, any cabinet will do. I store my towels in the cabinet in separate plastic containers such as you find for storing DVD`s or CD`s. They are clear and you can see the contents. I have separate plastic containers for:

- washing (WW`s, Polishing, wax removal)

- QD MF`s (along with Glass MF`s)

- Pads

- Applicators

- etc.

That way according to task I pull the appropriate container off the shelf in the cabinet.



In addition, I keep the used towels in a bin that separates the underbody towels from the paint towels until wash day. Never cross contaminating those towels. The goal is to never introduce swirling from a wash, a QD, to a full blown detail.

[Zet]

Besides keeping my towels separated, I also separate towels and applicators used for products containing silicone, from the others. Silicone is supposed to be the worst in regards to cross-contamination.



I had to simplify my categories a bit from what they were, in order to be easier to use in my shop:

1. Good quality MF`s, WW`s, applicators

2. General MF`s for wheels, jambs, and interior

3. MF`s and applicators used for silicone based products

4. Terry cloth towels



These are all kept separate in washing, and in storing.



I`m trying to replace most silicone based products with non-silicone ones, as I find this to be a real hassle to keep track of. Often I just use an old rag to wipe of e.g. a silicone based dressing, and then throw it out afterwards.

[Eliot Ness]

.......Exterior jamb/wheel MF towels......Also do a pre-soak on your grungy towels like those in a bucket with some Dawn or APC and then rinse before tossing them in the washer.



As for cabinets I`d check out Wal-Mart or Target. I think I picked up my large three drawer unit at Target a couple of years back. They are stackable if you want more than one and they also came with wheels if you want to move them around.

[Accumulator]

I take Sergei`s approach to even greater extremes, washing my WWs separately to avoid the possibility of MF-lint contamination. I even wash my WWs for glass separate from the WWs for paint :o though I realize that this is probably unnecessary.

[Sergei]

Point well taken Accumulator. The glass MF`s really need their separate wash, unless I know the other MF`s have nothing more than QD on them.

[Milestones]

I wash, dry and store mine by the following 3 categories:



1) terry cloth

2) MF towels and applicators for exterior paint (applying and removing polish, wax, QD, etc.)

3) MF towels and and applicators for interior, door jambs, wheels and glass.