Can I "restore" my MF towels?

[mzmtg]

I have some nice MF towels that I am very careful with. I also have a giant pile of cheap ones that I use for interior cleaning and cleaning other stuff around the house.



Many of the cheap ones have just been thrown in the wash with the regular laundry and dried at regular heat with fabric softener. All things that should not be done with MF towels.



So, can I restore my MF towels that have been "mistreated?" Can I just start washing them by themselves and drying them with low heat and no softener? Or are they permanently contaminated?

[cwcad]

I have read that boiling MF towels with a little vinegar and water then line or air drying them helps to rejuvenate older MF towels. At this time I have so many new towels that I have not had to rejuvinate yet. But will at some time in the future because I go thru a lot of towels on each detail and they are getting older each time that I use them.

[BlueZero]

I`ve never done the boiling but vinegar works great.

[imported_Bence]

Yes, but don`t forget that softener clogs the capillary action of the fibers, so they are just ordinary rags. But if you decide to boil them, do it repeatedly with vinegar to help release the softener, but the results will still be questionable.

[DM101]

What I do is wash them in a degreaser solution. Just about any degreaser will work. Check chemical Guys, Simple green, etc. I stay away from orange based cleaners. Also be sure you rinse them well !!!!!!! Double rinse or run them thru a cycle with no detergent.

[imported_Bence]

Yes, but I think that an APC/degreaser should be a standard step when cleaning MFs.



My routine is (when the MFs are dirtier than usual): First cycle with APC, 2nd with wash bar soap, 3rd with liquid detergent (all 80°C). 1st rinse cycle with vinegar, second with pure water (both cold). Then I additionally rinse them by hand (warm water) before wringing and hanging.

[Thomas Dekany]

Yes, but I think that an APC/degreaser should be a standard step when cleaning MFs.



My routine is (when the MFs are dirtier than usual): First cycle with APC, 2nd with wash bar soap, 3rd with liquid detergent (all 80°C). 1st rinse cycle with vinegar, second with pure water (both cold). Then I additionally rinse them by hand (warm water) before wringing and hanging.





Bence - you must live next to Duna. Or is water free nowadays? :D:D:D

[NavindraLR]

Bence - you must live next to Duna. Or is water free nowadays? :D:D:D



lol.. i was thinking the same thing

[RIDDLE]

how cheap are they? why not just buy new ones?

[imported_Bence]

Tamás, no, but usually we don`t have any restrictions. And I`m using a small washing machine solely for washing MFs, and it doesn`t consumes a lot of water...



Besides, we have more than 25 lakes in the close proximity of Miskolc...:D

[Paulie Walnuts]

how cheap are they? why not just buy new ones?

I agree here. Unless they are the high quality towels like from Pakshak just go to Sams Club or Costco and get new ones.



Otherwise I have found that this product works really well on restoring towels:



http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/autogeek_1962_29777965



I put them in the washer on hot and let it agitate. Then stop the washer and let them soak over night. In the morning turn the washer on and run them through. Then when done let the washer fill up again but with just hot water and let them run to the rinse cycle. At the rinse cycle add about a cup of white vinegar and you are set. Throw them in the dryer and you are done.

[zingyginger]

Much as I like to shop, I also hate throwing things out if they can still be useful. Check out this thread where basically, the recommendation is to use very hot water, a little vinegar and several rinses to get rid of residue in the towels (DFTowel chimed in on this one):



http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-product-discussion/82951-slow-cooking-towels-mitts-am-i-nuts.html?highlight=towel+hot+water

[RIDDLE]

i know what you mean about not wanting to be wasteful, but just buy some new ones and demote the ones you have now to wheels, rag bucket, etc.

[cgage]

I made the mistake of washing with a bit of the fabric softener wash. I just washed my towels in ERA liquid, and used the vinegar. It has restored them fairly well.



I would be wary of boiling as most microfiber wash instructions i have seen have cautioned using even hot water as it can shrink the fibers...

[mikebai1990]

I would be wary of boiling as most microfiber wash instructions i have seen have cautioned using even hot water as it can shrink the fibers...



DFTowel (expert on fabrics) has said that hot water, and even temperatures as high as those in dryers will not damage the fibers in a microfiber towel.