Proper Micro fibre Care

[togwt]

In order to be effective for cleaning and polishing usage, the Micro fibre must be split during processing; the polyester (the scrubbing fibre) is split from the polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fibre). If this is not carried out the resulting product loses over half of its absorbing and cleaning ability



Regardless of material type or quality, a dirty micro fibre, or a 100% Cotton towel will scratch, Microfiber has static attractant properties (polyester) that is dirt, dust, and various other substances cling to it, which is one of the reasons that it works so well, but it is also a reason why you need to be extra careful when using Microfiber towels on your paint or interior surfaces



A Microfiber towel is made from polyester nylon (a scrubbing fibre) and polyamide (an absorbing fibre), these microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime while trapping it within the weave, the reason polyester appears to absorb liquids is the many thousands of micro fibres that collectively encapsulate liquids.



Water, being hydrophilic also adheres to micro fibre. The polyester and polyamide are combined during weaving to create anywhere from 50,000 for an average microfiber to 200,000 pores per square inch for a very plush Microfiber towel



Micro fibre Care



Proper care is simple; to ensure your towels and buffing cloths provide long-term use, wash them frequently after every use and as soon as possible, in a liquid soap (Micro Restore) in hot 120oF< (48oC <) water, add a teaspoon per towel distilled white vinegar (typically 4% to 18% acetic acid) the vinegar doesn`t coat the fibres but instead works to eliminate detergent residue (do not use fabric softener) in the rise cycle, and finally a thorough cold rinse. Always wash micro fibre separately and only with other micro fibre fabrics. Use the hot setting on dryer, (your towels will not melt) no softener sheets



Before using any towels for the first time;



• Remove labels / tags

• Check for towel colour fastness before washing

• Wash towels before using to remove chemical sizing (used to plump up fibres)

• Use a liquid detergent (or a speciality product like Micro-Restore high efficiency (HE) washer safe) without softener, bleach, whiteners.



Before using Washing Machine



To ensure that the washing machine has no residual detergent or fabric softener; rise the machine drum with a 1:3 solution of washing liquid (with no bleach) / distilled white vinegar, clean about every 2-3 months



Car care products can get left behind in the drum; so run a cleaning cycle before and another once you’ve finished washing your micro fibre towels, using hot water, some liquid detergent and distilled white vinegar.



Washing Machine Maintenance



Wash on hottest setting (sanitary cycle, max time, extra rinse) Modern high-efficiency washer’s use less water and seal more tightly than older, less-efficient machines, these washers are more prone to residue build-up. To address this issue, Whirlpool pioneered the development of Affresh tablets, a simple, powerful and universal solution. All brands of HE washing machines have the potential for mould and mildew stains if not properly cleaned on a regular basis.



To ensure maximum performance, appliance manufacturers recommend a monthly maintenance and cleaning routine. Many cleaning products currently on the market with ingredients such as bleach adequately maintain the washer, but results may vary and are not always consistent.

Used every 4-8 weeks (dependent upon machine usage) it will prevents odour-causing residues from accumulating, although heavily soiled washers may require repeated treatments to remove traces of odour and residue. In this case, Whirlpool recommends running three successive washer cleaning cycles with an Affresh tablet in each.



Wash Towels after use



Always wash towels as soon as possible after use, the longer they sit the more the contaminants will set. The chemicals used in car care products will negatively affect the fibres structural integrity and weaken them, shortening their useful life. Residual chemicals will cause streaking, whereas dried chemicals will cause scratches.



Do not use bleach or high alkaline cleaning products as they will shorten the life of your micro fibre. Read the label on the detergent bottle and use half of what they recommend and use hot water (120.oF)



Do not wash different types of towels together. And always wash each colour separately; never wash white towels with colours.



Nothing removes lint out of the towel (new or used) better than a few spin dryer cycles. Washing also makes your new towels softer and more absorbent. A good first wash formula is 1 cup of distilled white vinegar with a half cup of detergent. This will help release lint, break towels in, and keep them fresh. It is also useful to soak new towels in a cup of ammonia and several gallons of warm water. This will dissolve any oils or treatments in the fabric that inhibit absorbency. Another good wash formula is 1 cup of ammonia with a half cup of detergent.



Washing / Care Directions



Heat acts as a catalyst promoting quicker reactions between chemicals and the soil thereby minimizing dwell time. Warm or hot water helps dissolve grease and oil in soil, agitation or hand rubbing helps pull the soil free. This concentrated aqueous formula is a special blend of surfactants, emulsifiers, chelating agents and water softeners.



Pre-Soak Towels



Micro fibre towels can "load-up" with residues reducing their effectiveness. Don`t let polish residues dry in the fibres as dried hardened product can cause scratches and product chemicals can negatively affect the fibres



Once you have finished detailing with the towel, allow it to soak in a bucket with approx 0.5 oz per gallon water and a d-limonene (citrus) based cleaner P21S®® Total Auto Wash. Or use Optimum Power Cleanâ„¢ diluted 2:1 (or stronger) with distilled water) or a micro fibre detergent (Micro-Restore). This will make it easier to clean and prolong the life of the towel as any chemicals that could potentially harm the fibres are removed sooner, keep in mind that excessive use of powerful degreasers may eventually damage the fabric. When you are ready to clean them, rinse well, machine-wash and leave to air-dry



• Wash / Rinse after using and before you use a different product (i.e. don’t use to remove polish and then apply wax) to avoid cross contamination

• Always wash towels separately from other fabrics using hot water, the primary consideration is detergent residue so always use a detergent that is clean-rinsing

• Wash drying towels separate from wax/polish towels

• Washing your towels on a regular basis without allowing them get too soiled, they will last much longer

• Some detergents contain enzymes, which don`t work well in cold water.

• Woolite® is intended for delicate fabrics and fine washables such as lingerie and cashmere sweaters, so it won’t remove polish or car care products

• Soak towels in Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda or soda crystals) or Optimum Power Clean™ as it effectively removes oil and grease

• As a pre-spotter: dilute 1 part concentrates with 3 parts hot water, apply to stain and launder as usual.

• Do not overload washer or dryer; it causes your towels’ fibres to weaken and lint

• Waxes and polymer sealants are not water soluble; they dry and adhere to the towels fibres. Cold water will simply allow them to remain in a solid state and not completely wash off.

• Hot water, however, allows them to soften and loosen from the threads and allows the detergent to act as it should and lift the contaminants from the fabric. Use medium heat, 104 .oF (40.o C) and add 1-2 ounces to a standard size (8 gallon) load, for larger loads or heavily soiled laundry

• Use a liquid detergent (or a speciality product like Micro-Restore high efficiency (HE) washer safe) without softener, bleach, whiteners.

• If possible buy the versions that are perfume and additive free as all these do is chemically coat the fabric and reduce its efficiency.

• Using half the washing detergents manufacturers suggested amount is usually sufficient

• During the rinse cycle add 1-tsb per towel white distilled vinegar (acetic acid that once diluted with water, the acid content is approximately 3-4% of the total solutions) this will help dissolve detergent and hard water minerals. Vinegar (Acetic acid, pH=2) works well in the rinse cycle to make your towels softer. Detergent is an alkaline (pH=12, the opposite of acidic on the pH scale).



When you wash your towels (or anything for that matter) there are small amounts of detergent left behind, when your add Vinegar it balances the pH of the solution and helps removes the excess detergent from the wash.

• Do not use fabric softeners (includes both liquid and dryer sheet type fabric softeners) as they deposit chemicals (silicone, etc) on the fabric and render them ineffective. These chemicals will also transfer to whatever you are cleaning or polishing with the towel.

• Clean the lint screen before and after every wash session

Over time you may find your micro fibre’s effectiveness decreases, despite following all of the above guidelines, this may be due to wax / polish build-up.



To remedy try one of the following -



1. Wash the microfiber for one full wash cycle normally. Then wash again, except this time open the lid and let it soak overnight. In the morning, close the lid and let the cycle finish.



2. Wash the microfiber for one full wash cycle normally. Then wash again, but instead of laundry detergent, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the load (assuming a medium to full size load). Run the cycle normally



3. If your towels lose their absorbency, try boiling them to dissolve product and release the fibres. Drain the water before removing the towel(s) otherwise residues will be re-deposited (melting point Polymer / Polyester 490. °F (255. °C).

Micro-Restore - because most detergents and laundry soaps have some form of optical fabric brighteners (Z)-Stilbene or fabric softener included in their formulas. Over time bleach breaks down the micro-fibres, and fabric softeners clog the microscopic pours that make microfiber so effective, rendering the microfiber product less effective with each washing.



Micro-Restore is superior for treating, cleaning and preparing microfibers because it is a powerful degreaser strong detergent with the absence of bleach and fabric softeners, it also breaks down heavy wax, oil and grease.



It will extend the life of your microfiber, due to its special blend of chelating agents, surfactants, and builders will more effectively remove the heavy residue (wax, oil, grease, break dust, and other chemicals) that becomes implanted in microfiber products. This product doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals that could be detrimental to HE washing machines



Directions: Add 2 ounces to standard size (8 gallon) loads. For larger loads or heavily soiled laundry, add 3-6 ounces. As a pre-spotter; us a 1:3 distilled water solution.



Towel Storage



I would recommend storing clean / dry towels into a sealed dust-free environment whilst not in use. Lidded plastic storage boxes are ideal in this respect like those rubber/plastic ones with the snap on lids. Worth repeating store DRY towels only, otherwise they will attract mould fungus

Debris Caught in Fibres



Micro fibre towels are designed to hold onto various types of contaminants that can scratch a prized car; they need to be inspected after each washing, especially if there is any chance they might have been dropped or picked up some tree particles from the car. You could try using a tack cloth to pick out small particulates from the fibres. Even if your towels have never been dropped, if you wash them with towels that have, debris is potentially inside the washing machine drum



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[Underdawg736GTC]

TOGWT, I love these write ups, the more I know about what I`m working with, the better I get at doing this lovely and addicting hobby!



Thank you for taking time from your day to post these ultra in depth articles!!!!

[togwt]

Glad they are informative . . .

[DHCrocks]

what about bleach alternative? I don`t know what it is but I`ve been using Tide HE with bleach alternative on my towels and they seem to be holding up fine. still soft and absorbant. This seems to work better and gets them cleaner then using the MF restore product.



So the hot dryer setting is ok? I have been using low but it takes a long time (2 cycles) to dry. I`ve always heard no heat when drying and I wasn`t about to expermiment on my towels since they cost so much.





thanks for the tip on washing as soon as possible. I`ve been pulling out towels and use them once and throw them in a bucket, save up about a months worth of towels and do a big batch at once. I guess I`ll do a weekly wash now.

[togwt]

[what about bleach alternative? I don`t know what it is but I`ve been using Tide HE with bleach alternative on my towels and they seem to be holding up fine. still soft and absorbant. This seems to work better and gets them cleaner then using the MF restore product.]



Over time bleach breaks down the micro-fibre



[So the hot dryer setting is ok? I have been using low but it takes a long time (2 cycles) to dry. I`ve always heard no heat when drying and I wasn`t about to expermiment on my towels since they cost so much]



A normal domestic dryer will not get hot enough to harm micro fobre or cotton towels



[thanks for the tip on washing as soon as possible. I`ve been pulling out towels and use them once and throw them in a bucket, save up about a months worth of towels and do a big batch at once. I guess I`ll do a weekly wash now]



Glad the post was informative

[Bunky]

Jon, I had highlighted this before but Woolite is sold in more than one formula. They have versions that are intended for general washing and reports from detailers including me show they clean fine.

[DHCrocks]

so the detergent with bleach alternative is a no go correct?

[togwt]

Jon, I had highlighted this before but Woolite is sold in more than one formula. They have versions that are intended for general washing and reports from detailers including me show they clean fine.

If you want to wash your towels with Woolite that`s your prerogative.

[togwt]

so the detergent with bleach alternative is a no go correct?

Bleach and Polyester are not compatable

[Astro_ng]

Tide Free and Gentle, any opinion on that detergent? I`ve been using that for the past couple of seasons.

[togwt]

I can only reiterate what I’ve already stated, use whatever detergents work for you, I have never done an analysis of all the washing detergents available but as long as the detergent doesn’t contain bleach or optical lighteners it should do no harm.



FWIW: I don’t use Woolite for washing micro fibre towels or finished leather for many reasons

[Accumulator]

In addition to what TOWT posted, I`ll add that I`ve had very good results laundering MFs with the same products I use for presoaking- Dawn and APCs like PowerClean.



Often, I use Dawn/etc. in pretty hearty quantities as a pre-spotter. I have a squeeze bottle with some slightly diluted Dawn (just watery enough that it squirts well) or I use my regular spray bottle of slightly diluted APC (same mix I use on undercarriages) and I pre-spot the MFs, using more than I think is really necessary. No additional detergent. Then I do a pre-wash or pre-soak cycle prior to the regular cycle. Numerous rinses, of course, until there is no sudsing during the rinse cycle.



Be careful trying this with HE washers as the Dawn/etc. can really foam up. No actual *problems* from when I did it, but it was, uhm....interesting enough that I haven`t done it again :grinno:



EDIT: Oh, almost forgot...I also clean out the dryer tub if I use a dryer that also sees dryer sheets. This doesn`t seem necessary if the dryer sees laundery that`s treated with fabric softeners (during the rinse cycle) but it might not be a bad idea. I use a MF spritzed with a mild APC mix and then I rewipe with another MF dampened with plain water, maybe repeating this "rinse-wiping" process if I think it`s needed.

[Thomas Dekany]

The only thing I`d add to this great info is that vinegar shouldn`t be mixed with the detergent. Use vinegar in an extra rinse cycle after washing has stopped

[ls7drew]

Do you store the towels in bags inside the plastic container? Its the only way I can think of to stop cross contamination between the towels. And remember what towels I use on what lol