Water Magnet towels not drying?

[cute02spec]

Hey all! I haven`t been on here in months, but now that it`s warming up and getting into car show season, I have a quick question...



I`ve had my water magnet towels for about 6 months now. The first couple of times I used them they dried great. However, the past two times I`ve used them they don`t pick up water at all, even after a second run with a dry one. I wash them in cold water with Sonus microfiber detergent, just like I have always been doing, with a quick spin in the dryer on low heat for a few minutes to pick off any stray lint, then hung up to dry. I just don`t understand how all of a sudden they stopped "working" when I haven`t started doing anything differently. My two towels have been used about a total of 4 times in their lifetime, stored clean in their own baggies.



Any ideas on what`s going wrong with them, and suggestions on how to fix it? I`m getting kind of annoyed at this product and am wondering if I should abandon the water magnet ship and try to find another drying product that will give me good results all the time...

[firegate]

They`re clogged with wax which is making them hydrophobic. Throw them back in the wash and add a cup of distilled white vinegar during the rinse cycle - should remove most of it. If that doesn`t do the trick, boiling them for about 15min will take care of it.

[Eliot Ness]

Try a hot water wash with a double rinse and add some vinegar to the first rinse. Usually a MF stops absorbing when it it starting to get clogged up with residue and the hot water will help break it down. You can also try boiling them for about 10 minutes..... yes it really works, and no it won`t damage the towels except for some fading (depending on the color).



If you`re looking for some new WW`s that are very soft and absorbent the Exceldetail Monterey (http://www.prestostore.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?ref=exceldetail&ct=29280&pd=133820) is an excellent choice. Equally nice is the Ultra Soft WW`s (http://www.pakshak.com/ultra-soft-waffle-weave-micro-fiber-towel-25x36-1.html) from PakShak, the Danase WW (http://www.danase.com/dawawedrto.html), and the Sonus Ultimate Drying Towel (http://www.autopia-carcare.com/mf-200.html).

[AL-53]

Do you use any wax as you dry products...like Eagle One`s brand....if so they will hinder the absorbition of a towel...try soaking the towels in a water APC mix and then wash with something like Tide free...also if your dryer has had softner sheets used in it some times it builds up in the dryer and releases on the towels...



Try washing in warm or hot water also...will not hurt the towels at all....and may help release any thing on them



Just a thought



Al

[cute02spec]

Nope, don`t use any wax as you dry products... let alone the two vehicles that I used them on didn`t really have any wax on the paint at all... *oops* I had these other towels I used for drying for a year on freshly waxed/detailed cars and they never stopped drying like these did after 3 uses on not waxed cars, though...



I was mistaken, I actually do use warm water when I wash them, I dunno why I said cold.



They were just used today, and I`ll throw them into wash later tonight with hot water and see how they are the next time.

[DaGonz]

What detergent are you using? Some of the liquid detergents contain a fabric softener and washing your MF drying towels with this kind of detergent will affect it`s ability to absorb water.

[cute02spec]

I use the Sonus microfiber detergent. No softener, no dryer sheets.

[firegate]

Have you ever washed them along with other towels that were used to apply or remove wax? That could be the culprit as well. Either way, the vinegar should take care of it.

[medic159]

Just wash them, in hot water and additive free detergent such as Tide Free. Don`t baby your towels, wash them properly and they`ll come clean.

[cute02spec]

Thanks everybody... I guess I`ll just stick them in the washer again and see what happens the next time I use them. I just found it very strange since I`ve never had this problem before with any other towel that I use to use for drying, and I washed those previous ones with lots of other (bad) stuff before I smarten up and started separately the nasty/wax/other towels from each other. I also might try out some different drying ones, because hey, it doesn`t hurt to have tons of towels! :)